
























































01079. THE MODERN CONJUROR 

And Drawing Room Entertainer, by C. Lang Neil. Introduction by Charles 
Bertram, explaining and illustrating tricks by Maskelyne, Trewey, Bertram, 
Downs, Patrice, Kennard, Valadon, DeManche, Lewis, Stanyon and others. With 
over 400 illustrations from photographs of actual tricks. Demy 8 yo., cloth. Just 
out. American edition, price, English.Price, 



The John J. and Hanna M. McManus 
and Morris N. and Chesley V. Young 
Collection 





















































THE MODERN CONJURER 


















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THE 


MODERN CONJURER 

AND DRAWING-ROOM ENTERTAINER 


BY 

C. LANG NEIL 


WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

CHARLES BERTRAM 


EXPLAINING AND ILLUSTRATING TRICKS BY 


J. N. MASKELYNE 
TREWEY 

CHARLES BERTRAM 
T. NELSON DOWNS 
MDLLE. PATRICE 


PAUL VALADON 
H. DE MANCHE 
L. GRAHAM LEWIS 
FRANK KENNARD 
ELLIS STANYON 


AND OTHERS 


With over 500 Original Illustrations from Photographs 

* 

• > I 

-j 

• >3 fr 


Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company 
London : C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd. 

1902 



930 


PLYMOUTH 

WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON 
PRINTERS 


The JOHN J. and HANNA M. McMANTJS 
and MORRIS N. and CHESLEY Y. YOUNQ 

.Collection 
Gift—Oct. 12, 1 m 


CONTENTS 


Sleights Used in Card Tricks. 

Two-handed Pass 
One-handed Pass 
To Palm Cards 

To Palm Cards from Bottom of Pack . 

Continuous Back and Front Palm 

False Shuffle 

To Force Cards 

The Change 

Dealing Seconds 

Dealing Seconds from Bottom of Pack . 

To Change Front Card 

Simple Card Tricks. 

Telling Cards Cut by Audience 

Catching a Chosen Card from Pack in the Air . 

Novel Discovery of a Chosen Card 

To Shake a Card through a Handkerchief 

Advanced Card Tricks. 

Manipulations with Cards 

Passing Twelve Cards up Sleeve 

The Diminishing Cards 

Back Palming and Recovery of Four Cards 

Discovering a Chosen Card Blindfolded 

The Three Card Trick (a new method) 

The Rising Cards . ... 

The “ Thurston ” Rising Cards 

The Four-Ace Trick 

Passing Cards from Pocket to Pocket . 





• 35 

• 38 

. 40 

• 45 

. 46 

• 5i 

• 55 

• 57 

• 59 

. 60 

62 


67 

69 

7i 

73 


• 79 

• 83 

• 92 

• 97 

. 102 

. 107 

• 113 

. 119 

. 124 

• 133 









6 CONTENTS 

Sleights used in Coin Tricks. 

PAGE 

To Palm . . . . . . . 141 

To Pass . . . . . • 143 

The Continuous Back and Front Palm . . • H 4 

The French Drop . . . ... 152 

To Change a Coin . . . . 1 53 

Tricks with Coins. 

To Extract a Coin from a Pocket-handkerchief. . • 1 59 

The Cap and Pence . . ... 163 

Disappearance of a Coin Wrapped in Paper . . .168 

Ten Coins Passed from Left Hand to Glass in Right . .172 

The Aerial Mint . . . . . . 176 

Tricks with Balls. 

The Cups and Balls . . . . 183 

The Billiard-ball Trick . . . . 192 

Handkerchief Tricks. 

Production of Hen’s Eggs from a Handkerchief . . 203 

The Sun and Moon Trick . . ... 207 

The Handkerchiefs and Soup Plate . . . .215 

Handkerchief, Watch, and Glass . . . . 220 

The Changing Handkerchiefs . ... 227 

The Mysteriously Joined Handkerchiefs . . .231 

Miscellaneous Tricks. 

The Chinese Rings . . . ... 241 

Coin, Card, and Paper . . ... 249 

The Mutilated Parasol . . . . . 255 

The Flag Trick . . . . . . 266 

The Ring on Stick . . . . . 273 

The Flower Trick . . . ... 275 

The Tambourine Trick . . ... 280 

Parlour Tricks. 

Two Corks . . . ... 288 

Suspended Knife . . . ... 289 

Safety Reading Lamp . . ... 289 

To Balance Plate on Needle . . ... 290 

Bottle Cannon . . . ... 290 


















CONTENTS 


7 


Parlour Tricks. 

Shark in Fish-pond . . . ... *291 

Novel Soup Tureen Stand . . ... 292 

Simple Handkerchief Trick . . . 292 

Dodge with a Sixpence . . ... 293 

Experiment with Corks . . . . . 293 

Pins into Glass Full of Water . ... 294 

Magnetised Paper . . . ... 294 

A Simple Coin Trick . . ... 295 

To Pick up Floating Ball . . ... 295 

Home-made Cinematograph . . ... 296 

Egg and Bottle Trick . . . . , 297 

Wineglass Puzzle . . . ... 297 

To Pass Yourself through a Playing Card . . . 298 

Perpetual Motion . . . ... 299 

Housekeeper’s Weighing Machine . ... 299 

A Dangerous Trick . . ... 300 

Atmospheric Pressure . . . . . 301 

To Lift Three Matches with One . . . . 301 

Cup of Tea on Knife . . ... 302 

To Balance a Pencil . . ... 302 

Brute Force Useless . . ... 303 

New Umbrella Stand . . ... 303 

Electricity on the Spot . . ... 304 

“ Try-your-Lung Power ” . . . . 305 

A Cheap Sprayer . . . ... 305 

Cardboard Figure Blows Out and Lights Candle . . 306 

Superior to Spirit-level . . ... 307 

Objects Suspended without Support . ... 307 

To Lift Four Straws with a Fifth . ... 308 

A Ludicrous Experiment . . ... 308 

A Similar Feat . . . . . 309 

Burnt Thread . . . . . . 310 

Dancing Bubbles . . . . . 310 

Boring Hole through Halfpenny . . . . 311 

How Water Deceives . . . . . 312 

Novel Way to Slice a Pear . . . . . 312 

Japanese Ball Trick . . • • . 3*3 

Magnetised Marionettes . . • . . 314 

Bridge of Matches . • • • • 3*4 

To Empty Glass of Water with Bottle . . - 3 1 5 







8 CONTENTS 

Parlour Tricks. 

PAGK 

Boring Hole through a Pin . . . . 315 

Egg Spinning . . . . . . 316 

Suspending Glass of Water . . . . . 317 

A Scissors Puzzle . . . . 317 

The Travelling Egg . . . . 318 

Plate Spinning ..... 321-328 

Chapeaugraphy ..... 331-349 

Paper Folding ..... 353-370 

Shadowgraphy ..... 373-387 

Books on Conjuring . . . . 389-412 





PREFACE. 


A HAPPY combination of circumstances, such 
as has not arisen in the past, enables me to 
offer to the public a complete book upon Natural 
Magic and Drawing-room Conjuring, in which many 
mysteries are explained and illustrated by novel, 
thorough, and practical methods. 

Though not a practical expert—and perhaps on that 
account better able to look at things from a learner’s 
point of view—I have for many years kept abreast 
with the progress made by modern magic and its 
literature. It has also been my privilege to enjoy 
the acquaintance, and in many cases the intimate 
friendship, of the greatest present-day professors of 
legerdemain and of kindred accomplishments. This 
has brought me into familiar touch, both before and 
behind the scenes, with the methods and finished 
achievements of the most brilliant magicians of the 
time, and perhaps the fact that I can never hope to 
rival them in any way may have made them more 
ready to discuss with me their favourite fakes. 

These combined advantages of watching the game, 
and of close acquaintance with its rules and exponents, 
have most forcibly convinced me that complete 
success in all notable illusions, and particularly in 


IO 


PREFACE 


popular drawing - room conjuring, depends upon 
niceties of manner, speech, and gesture, quite apart 
from the necessary action of the tricks. Two men 
may perform the same feat with equal dexterity and 
effect, so far as the deception of their audience is 
concerned ; each may have followed skilfully the lines 
which govern the perfect presentation of the particular 
trick, but one has added to it many subtle touches of 
his own, which stamp him with the hall-mark of 
supremacy, and set him head and shoulders above 
the other. 

There are nowadays so many who can do some¬ 
thing in the way of conjuring, that even to amateurs 
a knowledge of these finished touches must be 
valuable, and this is just what has been lacking in the 
instructions that were given by previous writers on 
this fascinating subject. 

It has been my good fortune to secure advantages 
in this direction which have not been possible to 
others, inasmuch as all the illustrations which explain 
the exact working of the various illusions are photo¬ 
graphs from life of the conjurers whose tricks are 
given, and these experts have themselves seen, and 
by their advice improved, my renderings and descrip¬ 
tions of their feats. 

A novel feature has also been introduced, for I 
have been able to show that there is a pleasant and 
profitable field for ladies in the realms of conjuring. 
In proof of this I have but to point to the photo¬ 
graphs of tricks by Mdlle. Patrice, who has made a 
success of drawing-room magic for some years. 


PREFACE 


11 

My heartiest thanks are due for much friendly 
assistance to Messrs. J. N. Maskelyne, Trewey, 
Charles Bertram, Paul Valadon, Nelson Downs, 
Frank Kennard, H. de Manche, L. Graham Lewis 
(a very clever amateur conjurer, who would have 
been in the first flight of professionals had not the 
golden paths of commerce claimed his energies), Ellis 
Stanyon, and Mdlle. Patrice. Without their aid and 
counsel this book could not have been produced, 
and to them much of the credit is due for this 
addition to the bibliography of conjuring. 

Special thanks must be given to my friend Mr. 
Charles Bertram, whose name is a household word in 
this connection, for his approval of the advance proofs, 
and for his Introduction. 

C. LANG NEIL. 


London, 1902. 



INTRODUCTION 


BY 

CHARLES BERTRAM. 

M UCH has been written from time to time upon 
the subject of legerdemain and modern con¬ 
juring, and it might seem that little remains to be 
said upon the subject; but in this volume is opened 
quite a new field of interest. Hitherto books upon 
conjuring have been marked by a certain sameness 
of style, while illustrations drawn by hand have failed 
to convey accurately the proper method of making 
passes and movements necessary to the smart finish 
of a trick or illusion. 

Mr. Lang Neil has conceived the happy idea that 
all the illustrations in his book on Modern Conjuring 
shall be quite up to date, and actual photographs 
of skilled professional conjurers, accompanied by 
specimens of their cues and patter which cover the 
movements. This, to my mind, is the most thorough 
and practical way of teaching the beginner, and of 
giving many finishing touches of subtle art to the 
adept. Those who have posed for these illustrations 
include most of the leading drawing-room magicians, 
and the pictures show a variety of dexterous methods 
and perfected styles. 


INTRODUCTION 


Most books upon conjuring seem to assume that 
the reader is already to some extent proficient in the 
art, and are written in a manner suitable to the 
professional entertainer who knows perfectly how to 
“palm,” “pass,” or “glisser.” The author in his 
treatise has, on the contrary, opportunely provided 
a genuine boon for all who are ambitious to shine 
in the mystic world, inasmuch as no little item or 
phase of a trick is assumed to be familiar to the 
reader, but each is thoroughly explained, and illus¬ 
trated by photographs taken in the very act of per¬ 
formance from the pose of a practised professor. 

Almost every exponent has his peculiar mannerisms, 
which give an individuality to his methods, and all 
possible opportunities should be taken to study these 
characteristics, and to bring them into appropriate 
use. Some conjurers are naturally humorous, and 
for these to assume too profound an air would be a 
great mistake ; on the other hand, one who has the 
valuable gift of gravity would not do well to renounce 
this solemn air of superior wisdom, or to take to 
making random jokes, and acting the low comedian 
to catch a laugh. 

Much, too, may depend upon the judicious manage¬ 
ment of an audience. A magician should possess a 
natural store of animal magnetism, and a nimble 
tongue, and on coming before an audience should 
strike the keynote at once, and know in a moment 
when he holds them in control. If he hesitates in 
his words or work, and shows any lack of confidence, 
he will cause his audience to flag, and perhaps to 


INTRODUCTION 


15 


ridicule his efforts, just when they should be hanging 
upon his every syllable and movement. If he sets to 
work with easy confidence, and appears to believe 
himself actually able to produce supernatural effects, 
he will carry the company with him, and so command 
success. 

A beginner, even when fairly expert, cannot expect 
to present his experiments always without hitch or 
accident, for even in the most skilful hands mistakes 
and mishaps occur. Something unlooked-for happens, 
some little piece of apparatus is missing, and so the 
proper issue of a trick is prevented. The novice 
must therefore not be discouraged, and in the event 
of any such mischance must never admit an absolute 
failure, but bravely bring the trick to the best con¬ 
clusion he can arrange on the spur of the moment, 
although it may not be the brilliant finish he had 
proposed. 

That famous French conjurer Robert Houdin was 
once asked by what trick he judged a conjurer’s ability. 
He replied that he should not estimate his cleverness 
by the execution of any particular trick, but rather by 
the manner in which he got out of a difficulty. No 
doubt Houdin was right, for nothing requires more 
nerve and adroitness than to gloss over an accident, 
bring about a result of some plausible sort, and beat a 
creditable retreat from an awkward position. 

I remember that I once saw a conjurer whose 
programme included the old Welsh rabbit trick. He 
proceeded to concoct the “rare-bit” by cutting up 
some cheese and placing it with the other ingredients 


i6 


INTRODUCTION 


into the saucepan, which was then held over a fire 
made in a gentlemans hat. The upshot of the trick 
is to discover in the saucepan a real rabbit, but on 
this occasion a kitten was produced. The conjurer, 
with ready wit, explained this by stating that he had 
inadvertently used Cheshire cheese , and so had brought 
out a Cheshire cat! 

I was performing in Allahabad, India, recently, and 
in the course of one of my tricks I asked for someone 
to come out on to the stage to assist me. A gentle¬ 
man came up, and I, wishing to impress upon the 
people that he was not in collusion with me, said to 
him, “ Now, sir, you are not a confederate of mine, are 
you?” “ No, certainly not,” he replied. “We have 
not entered into any arrangement for this trick?” 
“ No.” Then I added, by way of further emphasis, 
“You have never seen me before?” “Oh yes, I 
have,” he said ; “I’ve helped you in this trick in 
Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Tam worth.” Roars of 
laughter followed, in which I had to join, but I made 
a good friend. 

It is not quite in my line to write an introduction 
to a book on conjuring ; it is much more my habit 
to deceive an audience. But there is, I assure 
you, no deception in my assertion that these pages, 
excellent alike in letterpress and illustrations, form 
a most welcome addition to the practical literature 
of magic. The author is to be heartily congratulated 
upon his admirable collection of really valuable con¬ 
juring practice, and upon the splendid series of 
photographs which illustrate and enrich his work. 


INTRODUCTION 17 

With the greatest possible pleasure I recommend 
these fascinating pages to amateurs and experts, as 
the finest and most reliable work upon Modern 
Conjuring and Feats of Dexterity that has ever been 
produced. 

C. B. 

London, August , 1902. 


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THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL 
MAGIC. 


“It is the quickness of the hand deceives the eye” was a 
maxim correctly applied to the performances of the earlier 
conjurers, whose skill was of the juggling order. It is also 
in some degree applicable to the recent type of coin and 
card manipulation, which has been made the vogue by 
several very clever American performers. But as descriptive 
of the secrets of conjuring and magic (I always use the 
word in its natural, not the supernatural sense) it is entirely 
erroneous. 

The magician or the drawing-room conjurer who desires to 
create real illusions—that is to say, to quite deceive his 
audience as to all he does—must rely on much more 
cunningly constructed foundations for his schemes than mere 
quickness of the hand. 

The juggling order of sleight of hand is most interesting 
and clever, but is only a branch of natural magic. The per¬ 
former who takes a card or coin and apparently throws it into 
space, immediately showing the hand which held it quite 
empty both back and front, has astonished his audience—he 
has not deceived them—for, unless aware of the working of 
the back and front palm, the spectators have no idea what has 
become of the card or coin. They have not been led to think 
it is anywhere. They merely wonder what he did with it and 
admire the quickness of the manipulation which made the 
object disappear without their being able to follow it. In 
fact, an extremely smart juggle has been effected. 

Conjuring consists in the performer’s audience being led to 
believe that certain definite actions have been carried out 


19 


20 


NATURAL MAGIC 


before them, while they presently discover that the results of 
those actions are something directly contrary to any natural 
law. 

They immediately recognise that they have been deceived 
completely, but without knowing how or when the deception 
took place, for they are not fools enough, nor is it desired to 
make them think, that the supernatural has occurred. 

It is thus the mind of the spectator which must be 
deceived. 

I have often heard conjurers say that boys and young 
people have much quicker brains than grown-up people. 
This is quite a fallacy. The difficulty of deceiving young 
people lies in the fact that their brains, not having had the 
practice of those of their elders, act more slowly, not more 
quickly. Display cause to the quick thinker, and effect 
springs of itself instantaneously before him. Thus the 
cleverer the man the more easily may the magician deceive 
him. Take a most simple instance of even the juggling 
order of magic. The performer has a ball in his hand, and. 
with an upward motion throws the ball into the air. The 
active mind unconsciously and in a moment associates the 
effect (the flight of ball in air) with the cause (the upward 
motion). At the second upward motion of the performer’s 
hand every eye in the audience follows the upward track, 
where the ball should rise; and so strong is the “ perception 
of repetition,” that a distinct interval of time has elapsed 
before the fact that the effect did not this time follow the 
cause has reached their minds. That interval has been 
sufficient for the magician to have vanished the ball just as 
he may have desired. 

Imitativeness is inherent in every human mind, and lends 
in the above instance the greatest possible assistance to the 
magician. It supplements the cause and effect association 
in the case of the educated mind, and in that of the child’s 
or uneducated mind is an even stronger ally of the conjurer. 
As he moves his hand upward his head and eye markedly 
follow its course and that of the ball in its flight. His head 
and eye also follow the imaginary flight at the second effort, 


NATURAL MAGIC 21 

and every other head and eye in the audience, through un¬ 
conscious imitativeness, also follow in varying degrees of 
accuracy both the real and imaginary flight. 

What has happened is that the magician has led his 
audience away from what has really happened by inference. 
From the result of the first throw they infer the result of the 
second, and the inference is emphasised by the conjurers 
gesture in making his head and eyes follow the first and 
genuine and also the second and false throw. 

There is yet another and more certain method of drawing 
away the attention of the audience from what.is really being 
done. The performer’s conversation is arranged to divert 
the minds of those present, and to hold their interest on a 
subject unconnected with his real doings. They may be 
be directly or indirectly, quietly and slowly, or quickly and 
suddenly diverted. Speech was given us to conceal our 
thoughts, and the magician goes one better, and uses it to 
conceal his actions also. To the drawing-room conjurer the 
most important weapon of deceit is his cunningly arranged 
conversation. 

From all this it must not be supposed that skill in leger¬ 
demain can be neglected. It is essential that the hand must 
be in absolute accord with the mind, and let no one fall into 
the fatal mistake of neglecting the acquirement of a perfect 
power of manipulation of cards, coins, and all objects to be 
made use of. In the foregoing remarks this ability is assumed 
as a sine qua non , for no amount of diversion of the specta¬ 
tors’ mental and ocular vision will serve if the hands are not 
ready at the right moment to do their task. 

Sleight of hand is to be acquired by anyone who will 
give sufficient patience and practice. Hence my emphasising 
the other principles, which involve more than mere practice. 

In addition to all the above means of mystery, there is at 
the call of the modern conjurer a wide variety of apparatus. 
Not the old-fashioned large and showy pieces—I might almost 
say of furniture—but tricky little devices, the existence of 
which, far from being used to impress the audience, is never 
even made known to them. 


22 


NATURAL MAGIC 


Optics, hydraulics, pneumatics, magnetism, electricity, and 
other sciences are all made the servants at one time or another 
of the modern conjurer. 

Enough has now been said to put the inquiring mind on 
the track of the main principles of magic, on which alone a 
large volume might be filled ; but the object of this book is 
to show the practices used in a variety of tricks rather than 
to discourse upon the principles involved. 


MANNER AND GESTURE 


In drawing-room conjuring these two points are perhaps the 
principal items contributing to success. What they should 
be is summed up in the one word natural. A movement or 
a mannerism which is natural to one person is the opposite 
when made by another ; hence everyone must more or less 
fix their own method of displaying tricks. The best advice 
that can possibly be given to the student of natural magic, 
and, for the matter of that, also to its professed exponents, 
is, go through every action you have to make in any trick 
that is to be acquired, actually doing everything which you 
will pretend to do when displaying the experiment, watching 
yourself in a mirror as you do so. For instance, if it be 
necessary to palm a coin whilst apparently transferring 
it from the right to the left hand. Take your coin, actually 
place it in the left hand, mark every detail of the whole 
movement. Now when you come to the make-believe, and 
the right hand retains the coin, see that the movement pre¬ 
sented in the glass coincides exactly in minutest detail with 
all that you actually did before. 

If something is to be taken from a servante under cover of 
the picking up of a hat or other object from the table, first 
take the hat alone, watching your glass, then take the object 
and hat, seeing that your mirror portrays nothing which was 
not in the former movement. 

No two people do the simplest of simple actions quite 
alike. Watch a dozen people pick up a hat from a table; 
each one will have some variation from the methods of the 
rest. The conjurer must learn what are his own particular 

23 


24 


MANNER AND GESTURE 


movements and manner in handling objects, picking up 
objects, dropping objects, etc., so that he can fit his sleight of 
hand to them. Many a person has special methods of 
handling things which are particularly adapted to be made 
use of at such a time; but this such an one would never 
do, owing to his unconsciousness of his own habits of 
action. 

As to manner, again, everyone must choose his own. 
There are three principal styles, which I may term— 

(1) The profound or mysterious. 

(2) The humorous. 

(3) The natural conversational. 

The first is the most difficult to make a success of, for in it 
the performer must by inference, if not by actual declaration, 
assume profound powers of magic—one mistake will turn his 
dignified mystery into the ludicrous—and he voluntarily 
dispenses with the “boniment” or “patter” which is the 
staple stand-by of his more talkative rival. 

In a word, it is only the most accomplished conjurer (and 
he should at that be gifted with a naturally mysterious 
appearance and manner) who may adopt the profound style 
in these enlightened times. 

The second is the most usual and perhaps the easiest 
of the three to acquire. 

The third is for the drawing-room conjurer, and for the 
amateur in particular, the most advantageous. 

To be naturally conversational with an audience without 
becoming “ familiar,” and so loosing the “ mental hold ” 
which is essential, is no easy matter, and the greatest fore¬ 
thought must be exercised in the arrangement of patter—the 
wording of the most trifling question may alter the whole 
“ temperament” of the audience, which the performer has up 
to that time been most carefully working them up to. 

As being the best method for drawing-rooms, most of the 
patter in tricks described throughout this book is designed 
for the No. 3 style, which I have termed “the conversa¬ 
tional.” 


MANNER AND GESTURE 


25 


Gracefulness of movement and gesture are essential to 
every style of conjuring, and this is where many professional 
performers, and most amateurs, fail. In the course of this 
book there are a few illustrations which at first sight might 
seem superfluous; whole-length figures of the performers 
are shown where the description is confined to the actions of 
the hands and the patter. In all such instances some point 
of graceful posture is shown, and the learner is advised, as 
far as possible, to adopt a style similar to that depicted in 
the photographs. They include several of the most “artistic” 
as well as the cleverest of modern conjurers. 






THE CONJURER’S CLOTHES 


For Men. —Ordinary clothes with a few extra pockets in 
convenient places are all that is necessary. 

Inside the coat tails, be it “Frock,” “Morning,” or “ Evening ” 
coat, a couple of large special pockets called profondes are 
placed. The openings of these are made on a slight slant— 
low at the front and a little higher at the back. The height 
at which they are placed is such that when the arms hang 
naturally down the knuckles of the hands reach just to the 
centre of the openings of these pockets. 

At each side of the back of the trousers is placed a small 
pocket just above the thigh. These are termed pochettes , 
and are of a size to hold conveniently a billiard ball, or any 
other small article. 

These are the four main pockets, and all the tricks described 
in this book require no others, though in some cases the 
ordinary ones come also into use. 

For producing rabbits or large objects, a couple of big 
pockets may be let into the coat higher up under the arms, 
also with oblique openings. 

Inside the waistcoat, along the bottom of its front, may be 
placed a long shallow pocket to hold “vested” objects. In 
some instances it is as well to attach a band of broad elastic 
round the bottom of the waistcoat to prevent these from fall¬ 
ing out prematurely. If the performer be of portly build 
this elastic will be superfluous, but to others it is very useful. 

For Ladies. —Fashions change so rapidly that it is impos¬ 
sible to lay down exact positions for a lady’s conjuring 

2 7 


28 


THE CONJURERS CLOTHES 


pockets. One good-sized pocket at each side at the back of 
the skirt just over the hips can generally be managed. 

If a belt or sash forms part of the dress, it provides the 
opportunity for several little pockets, which may be let into it 
of sufficient size to hold a coin, piece of paper, etc. 

If there are revers on the bodice, each may conceal a little 
pocket behind it. 

Sometimes straight or sinuous embroideries or tucks or 
flounces run across or down skirts, and these will admirably 
conceal the openings of pockets of greater or less size. 

In evening dress a pocket may be let into each side of the 
opening at the chest. 

With these few hints a woman’s ingenuity will require no 
further direction in the matter of pockets. 


THE WAND 


The days have long since passed when the magician made 
his wand mainly responsible for the wonders he worked, 
attributing all sorts of mysterious powers to its influence; 
and yet nowadays the wand is even more necessary to the 
conjurer than it was when he led his audience to believe it 
indispensable. This is quite in keeping with one of the 
principal axioms of conjuring. The least important part 
of the progress of the trick is always emphasised to the 
audience, and the vital parts are smoothly glided through as 
though of little moment. 

When the apparatus employed was large and impressive, 
and the trick was effected by its means, it served the 
conjurer’s purpose to draw all possible attention to the 
marvellous powers of the wand in order to divert attention 
from the real source of the mystery; but nowadays drawing¬ 
room conjuring depends so much on pure sleight of hand and 
apparatus the existence of which must be concealed from the 
audience, that the wand comes in most opportunely to aid in 
screening what is palmed, and on this account the skilful 
modern performer draws no attention whatever to it, but uses 
it nine times out of ten apparently as a convenient pointer. 
His assistant from the audience in, say, a card trick is asked 
to touch the heap o‘r heaps on the table with the wand. The 
idea conveyed to the minds of the spectators is that no one 
touches those heaps with the hand, so that there can be no 
deception ! They remain ignorant of how the holding of the 
wand previous to handing it to the assistant helped the per¬ 
former also to hold unseen the palmed cards in his right 


29 


THE WAND 


30 

hand, or the coin, ball, or what not, according to the trick 
in progress. 

To use the wand with discretion, naturally, and gracefully, 
must be the aim of the learner. When the performance is 
over the audience must not remember that a wand was used 
at all, except it be in a few cases, when they might, in describ¬ 
ing a trick, say, “ But he never touched it with his hand at all; 
he picked it out with the tip of the wand, so he could not 
have changed it then.” 

From these considerations it naturally follows that a per¬ 
fectly plain wand is best. The usual black ruler (about half¬ 
inch in diameter) with plated end pieces is, perhaps, the 
handiest, though there are obvious advantages in a plain black 
without the bright ends. 

Quite a number of trick wands are to be bought for coin 
manipulation, fish production, etc., and they serve their 
purpose well in certain stage tricks; my advice, however, 
to the drawing-room conjurer is to leave them severely alone. 


THE TABLE 


Of conjuring tables there is perhaps a greater variety than of 
trick wands, but here again the drawing-room conjurer is 
advised to eschew them all. It is true that very startling 
effects can be obtained by means of traps—traps plain, traps 
with pistons, traps with chutes, and traps with bands to 
withdraw and replace objects. For stage illusions they are 
most useful, but in a room the magician, and especially 
the amateur, should be ready to use any small table which 
may be at hand. 

All the experiments described in this volume require no 
other fittings to the table than a servante , i.e. a little tray out 
of sight at the back of the table, to be used for dropping 
things on to, or picking them up from, unknown to the 
audience. 

Neat portable servantes may be bought which fix instan¬ 
taneously on to any table, and in most cases even these may 
be dispensed with. If a small coloured cloth be thrown over an 
ordinary chessboard table, so doubled that it falls about five 
or six inches over the front and as far over the back, with 
the two corners at the rear pinned up level with the surface 
of the table, a sort of trough is formed along the back of the 
table which serves the purpose admirably. The size of this 
tablecloth servante can be regulated by the performer to 
suit the size of the' objects he is using at each particular 
performance. 

For conjuring in one’s own house just such a table should 
be used, or a round gipsy table, in which may be inserted 
several “ fakes,” if it be the performer’s desire. The round- 
topped tables with brass stands sold by dealers are good for 

3 * 


32 


THE TABLE 


stage use, but quite out of place in a room where the con¬ 
jurer’s success depends on the natural tone of his manner 
and surroundings. The introduction of a table which would 
not under ordinary circumstances be in the room at once 
detracts from this air of genuine unpreparedness under which 
the modern conjurer professes to perform his prodigies. 


pirii y 


SLEIGHTS USED 
IN CARD CONJURING 






THE TWO-HANDED PASS 


35 


THE TWO-HANDED PASS. 

(Sattter la Coupe.) 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

(The photographs are of Bertram’s hands making this pass.) 

Hold the pack in left hand as if about to deal (Fig. i), and 
open the cards at the middle, or at whatever part of the pack 



Fig. la. 

Back view of Fig. 1 showing the 
little finger inserted at point 
of division. 



Fig. 1. 

Left hand holding pack and in¬ 
serting little finger at the 
place where the cards are 
desired to be divided. 


the pass is to be made, inserting the little finger of the left 
hand (Fig. i a ). 

Advance the right hand towards the pack, and whilst doing 


so open the left hand so 
that the cards will be open 
—at the top about an inch, 
at the bottom two inches. 
(The half of pack above 
the little finger we will call 
No. i, and that below 
No. 2.) 

This brings No. i half 
(Fig. 2) obliquely under the 
fingers of the right hand. 
The second, third, and little 
fingers must be kept close 
together, so as to form a 



Fig. 2. 

The fingers of left hand just beginning 
to bring down No. I half. 




THE TWO-HANDED PASS 


36 



Fig. 3. 

No. 2 half drawn down by fingers of left 
hand, clearing No. 1 half. Note position 
of left thumb pressing on centre of 
No. 2 half, the first finger and thumb 
of right hand acting as pivots. Also 
note position of first finger of left, 
which keeps No. 1 half from falling out 
of position. 


screen. The first finger 
and thumb grasp No. 2 half 
at top and bottom of cards. 

The fingers of left hand 
draw No. i half downwards 
to clear No. 2 half (Fig. 3). 

At the same time the 
thumb of left presses on 
the centrfe of top side of 
No. 2 half, which has the 
effect of turning it, the first 
finger and thumb of right 
hand acting as pivots. This 
pressure raises the bottom 
side of No. 2 half, enabling 
No. 1 half to clear it easily. 

As soon as it is clear the 
left fingers are closed up, 
bringing No. 1 half up under¬ 
neath No. 2 half (Fig. 4). The fingers of both hands square 
up the cards, and the pass is finished. 

This pass must be practised in front of a looking-glass, 
and all made to blend into 
one instantaneous move¬ 
ment, which must be quite 
noiseless and also quite un¬ 
seen, the right hand being 
all the while held in such a 
position as entirely to screen 
No. 1 half in its removal 
and replacement beneath 
No. 2 half. In the photo¬ 
graphs the hands have been 
held round a little to allow 
of a side view exposing all the positions, and the distance by 
which the No. I half clears the No. 2 is much greater than is 
necessary except for the purpose of this explanation. The 
audience see only the back of the right hand during the pass. 



Fig. 4. 

Fingers of left hand closing up and 
bringing No. 1 under No. 2. 



THE TWO HANDED PASS 


37 


The learner should bear in mind that this pass is the most 
important of all points to acquire to perfection, for it is the 
basis of, or used in, almost every card trick which requires 
any sleight of hand. It is by means of this pass that any 
card placed by a member of the audience into the pack is 
secured by the performer, or a sight of it obtained ; in fact, 
without proficiency in this pass (for no other pass is absolutely 
necessary) no one can conjure cleverly with cards. 

My description of this “two-handed pass” differs in several 
important points from any I have yet seen published, in that 
no one to my knowledge (not even the well-informed Pro¬ 
fessor Hoffmann himself) has explained that by the thumb 
and first finger of right hand gripping ends of No. 2 half a 
much better screen is obtained for the whole movement by 
second, third, and little fingers being together, and more 
important still is the advice that No. 2 half is levered up by 
the thumb of left hand ) and not, as is always advised, raised 
by the second and third fingers and thumb of right hand, 
which necessitates a movement of the right hand. 

The result of Charles Bertram’s method is that the right 
hand comes to the pack ostensibly to square up cards, and 
remains dead still as a screen for the operation of removal 
and replacing at bottom of half No. i, which is done in the 
fraction of a second by left hand under the complete cover of 
right. 

The slight movement of the right hand (in order to raise 
No. 2 half) usually made by conjurers when making the pass, 
as elsewhere described, lets the audience see something is 
being done, even if they cannot see what it is. 

I have dwelt at some length and repetition on this point 
on account of its importance. It is certain that if my book 
contained no other novelties than this and the method of 
palming which follows, it would still justify its existence, 
such improvements are they upon any previously published 
methods. At the same time, the credit for their inclusion is 
entirely due to my friend Mr. Charles Bertram. 


38 


THE ONE-HAND PASS 


THE ONE'HAND PASS* 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 


This is generally known as the Charlier pass. It is given 
with one or two improved details of Mr. Bertram’s own 
devising, after he had learnt the pass from Charlier himself. 

The pack is held in the left hand, 
face towards the audience; the point 
of the thumb should be just on a 
level with the edge of the pack, the 
little finger must be held and kept at 
the bottom of the pack, forming a 
rest, and squaring the cards after the 
movement ; the second and third 
fingers hold the pack tightly on the 
side opposite the thumb, and the first 
finger should be free, and not touch 
the pack (see Fig. i), excepting that 
just before making the first move¬ 
ment the first finger taps the top 
of the cards to square them. 



Fig. 1. 

Note the exact positions of 
each finger. 


The lower half of the pack 
is now released by slightly 
raising the ball of the thumb, 
and drops into the palm of 
the hand, as in Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2. 

Half the cards allowed to fall into palm 
of the hand. 




THE ONE HAND PASS 


39 


The first finger, which is free, now 
pushes the bottom half up until it 
reaches the top edge of the upper half 
of the pack, forming a kind of tent, as 
in Fig. 3, and the lower half is kept 
from going too far by the left thumb. 
The hand is now slightly opened, when 
the upper half falls on to the first finger, 
which gently lowers the upper half, the 
thumb gently sliding the lower half 
over the falling cards. 


The fingers are then gripped round the pack, as at first, to 
square them up. The movements should blend, and as the 
cards drop (No. 2) a slight lowering movement of the hand 
made ; at No. 3 movement the cards should be brought 
towards the body with a slight sweeping movement, bringing 
the faces of the cards shown towards the audience at 
completion. 

In practising this pass it is better not to use a complete 
pack—about thirty cards is the best number to take. When 
proficient with these the whole pack may be taken. 



Fig. 3. 

Note, little finger never 
loses position at bottom 
of cards. First finger 
pushes up the part of 
pack which lies in palm 
in Fig. 2. 


40 


THE PALM 


THE PALM-A NEW AND PERFECTLY 
DECEPTIVE METHOD* 

Next to the pass in importance—in fact, of almost equal 
importance—is the palm. Despite this it is the weakest 
point with most conjurers in card tricks. Explanations of 
card palming have hitherto (without, to the writer’s know¬ 
ledge, a single exception) contained one fatal mistake, viz. 
the performer has been told to “hold the pack in the left 
hand, approach the right hand to it, and with the second 
finger push forward the card (or cards) it is desired to palm 
an eighth of an inch or more, at the same time exerting a 
slight pressure upon it (or them), thus causing it (or them) to 
be tilted into the palm of the right hand, which is then 
removed containing the card {or cards) palmed .” Mr. Howard 
Thurston, in his admirable (as far as it goes, for it is much 
too short to be a complete manual of card conjuring) treatise 
on cards, gives the above explanation, varied only in that he 
concludes the description of the palm with “ this causes the 
card to be tilted into the palm of the right hand, which forth¬ 
with grasps the pack between the first finger and thumb.” 
This in effect is almost the same thing as the first descrip¬ 
tion, for in order to grasp the pack as described the right 
hand palming the card must be removed the length of the pack 
or thereabouts for the first finger and thumb to grasp it. 

Now one of the most vital axioms in finished card conjuring 
is that the hand which secretly takes cards should not immedi¬ 
ately move with them. The fact of the hand approaching the 
pack, and then being removed without being shown empty, 
is in itself conducive to the idea that it took something. 

There is no conjurer who palms cards more cleanly and 
deceptively than Charles Bertram, whose performances are 
mostly given in drawing-rooms, with the audience close up 
to and around him, making the chances of detection in pass¬ 
ing or palming tenfold ; and it is upon his authority that 
I state that the Bertram method of palming, which I now 
proceed to describe for the first time, and illustrate with 
photographs of Bertram’s hands, is immeasurably superior to 


THE PALM 


41 


any other. I am sure that the conjurer who practises and 
perfects himself in this method will never return to the old 
style. 

To palm cards in the neatest manner possible :—Hold 
the pack in the left hand, exactly as if about to deal. Bring 
the right hand towards the pack, and place the four fingers 
on the top edge, and with the right thumb lift up one or 
more cards, as desired. At the bottom edge, at the same 
moment, insert the little finger of the left hand into the 
opening thus caused ; then squeeze the fingers and thumb 
of the right hand slightly together, which will bend the 
cards outwards somewhat. At the same time move the left 
hand, with the pack in it, away from the right, and, at the 
moment of its leaving, with the second finger of the left 
hand give the card or cards in the right hand a sudden push, 
which will cause them to spring into the palm. On no 
account must the right hand 
be taken away from the left; 
the fact of the left hand 
leaving the right disarms 
the audience of any sus¬ 
picion that cards are in the 
right hand concealed. 

In order to make this 
palm quite clear, I give a 
very full series of photo¬ 
graphs. Figures 1 and 2 
show the principle of it in 
a very exaggerated form; 
i.e. that the right hand’s 
only movement is to press 
the cards to be taken into 
a bridged shape (Fig. 1), 
and the second finger of 
left hand sharply touching 
the centre of the bridged 
cards springs them into 
the palm (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 



42 


THE PALM 


Fig. 3 shows the position 
of cards in left hand as the 
right approaches. 


Fig. 3. 


Fig. 4 shows the right hand 
just grasping cards at either 
end with fingers and thumb, 
whilst the thumb of left hand 
helps the bridging of the 
cards. 


Fig. 5 shows the left hand, 
with pack just beginning to 
move away. 


Fig. 6 is the same position 
as Fig. 5, but with the hands 
bent downwards to expose 
the position more clearly to 
the reader. 






Fig. 6. 


THE PALM 


43 


Fig. 7. The movement of 
left hand away with pack a 
little further progressed,show¬ 
ing the second finger of left 
inserted between the pack, 
and the cards ready to push 
them into palm. 




Fig. 9. Same as Fig. 8, 
but viewed from the side to 
expose the position better 
to the reader. 



Fig. 9. 


Fig. 10. The finish of 
“ the palm.” Left hand with 
pack well away, right hand 
not having moved at all. 



Fig. 10. 




44 


THE PALM 


In Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 the hands have in each case 
been viewed more from the side than the audience sees them, 
in order to make the course of the movement, for it is all 
done in one instantaneous movement, clear to my readers. 

The actual position of the right hand is all the time as in 
Fig. 10, so that neither the bending of the cards or fingers 
between pushing the cards into the palm are visible to the 
audience at all. What the audience see is—the right hand 
comes to the pack ostensibly to square the cards, and this 
done the left hand moves the pack to position of Fig. 10. 

When cards are palmed 
it is very often desirable in 
the course of a trick to hand 
the pack (minus the palmed 
ones) to be shuffled by a 
member of the audience. 

Do not do this with the left 
hand, but take the pack 
from the left hand into your 
right between the fingers 
and thumb, and hand as in Fig. 11. This does not in any 
way interfere with the palmed cards, yet without ostensibly 
appearing to do so, it disarms any suspicion as to cards being 
concealed there. 



Fig. 11. 

Right hand with cards palmed hands 
rest of pack. 




TO PALM FROM BOTTOM OF PACK 45 


TO PALM CARDS FROM BOTTOM OF PACK. 



Fig. 1. 

First finger slides out card to 
fingers of right hand. 


The pack is held in the left hand. The right hand ap¬ 
proaches ostensibly to square the cards. The first finger of 
left hand slides forward the bot¬ 
tom card (or cards) until its edge 
reaches the fleshy part of the first 
phalange of the fingers of right 
hand (Fig. i). The thumb and 
second, third, and fourth fingers of 
left hand withdraw the remainder 
of the pack, the first finger pressing 
against the card which is left in 
right hand until the instant the 
pack clears the inner end of it 
(Fig. 2). The left with the pack 
moves away clear of the right hand, which must not move 
immediately on taking the card. The effect is as though 
the right hand squared up the 
pack in the left, and the left then 
in a natural way removed the 
pack to proceed with whatever 
may be in progress at the moment. 

The photographs of this palm are 
side views intentionally exposing 
the movement. All that the 
audience see at the instant of 
palming is the back of the right 
hand, which is apparently squaring 
the pack. 



Fig. 2. 

Thumb and second, third, and 
fourth fingers of left remov¬ 
ing the pack. 



46 CONTINUOUS PALM WITH CARDS 


THE BACK AND FRONT OF HAND CONTINUOUS 
PALM WITH CARDS. 

(PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE HAND OF PAUL VALADON.) 

A most effective sleight which no one who desires to 
obtain a reputation for finished card conjuring can afford 
to ignore. Suitable to either sex. 

Time Occupied. —Instantaneous. 

Effect. —The performer shows a card held between the 
thumb and first finger of either hand. A slight upward 
movement of the hand and 
the card has vanished. The 
performer shows that the card 
is not concealed either in the 
palm or at the back of the 
hand. 

Presentation of Trick.— 

A card is taken between the 
thumb and first finger as in 
Fig. i, the hand and fore¬ 
arm make a slightly down¬ 
ward movement (about three 
to four inches) and then upward (eight to twelve inches), 
whilst the fingers manipulate the card as follows: 



Fig. 1. 


The thumb allows the card 
to fall somewhat across the 
back of the first, second, and 
third fingers, and the little 
finger comes up to the edge 
of the card as in Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2 . 


CONTINUOUS PALM WITH CARDS 47 


The little finger grips the 
edge of the card between itself 
and the third finger, and the 
first finger is removed so that 
the thumb grips the opposite 
edge of the card between itself 
and second finger (Fig. 3). 


The first finger moves down 
the edge of the card and takes 
the place of the thumb in 
gripping the edge of card 
against second finger, which 
allows the thumb to move 
away and brings one to the 
position of Fig. 4. 



Fig. 4. 


The fingers are extended and the back palm is now 
complete (Figs. 5 and 5 a). The card has vanished and the 
palm of hand is seen empty. 



Fig. 5a. 

A reverse view of Fig. 5 showing where 
the card lies. 









48 CONTINUOUS PALM WITH CARDS 


To show the back of hand 
the hand is now turned over, 
the thumb coming over for¬ 
ward. Whilst the hand is thus 
turning over forward the fol¬ 
lowing takes place : The fingers 
are closed to palm and the 
thumb grips the centre of edge 
of card as in Fig. 6, 



Fig. 6. 


allowing the four fingers to be 
opened outwards as in Fig. 7, 



Fig. 7. 


until the first and little fingers 
grip the other end edges of the 
card against the two middle 
fingers as in Fig. 8, 



Fig. 8. 









CONTINUOUS PALM WITH CARDS 


49 


and upon the completion of 
the turn of the hand the back 
of hand is shown as in Fig. 9. 



Fig. 9. 


To reverse the palm once 
more, in order to show the 
front of hand empty, the 
hand is again turned over, and 
whilst turning the process is 
as follows : The thumb presses 
against the centre of bottom 
edge of card as in Fig. 10. 


This allows the two centre 
fingers to come down the back 
of the card simultaneously 
with the first and little fingers 
coming down the edges (Fig. 
11), and the thumb presses the 
bottom edge of card until the 
tips of the two centre fingers 
are about three-quarters of an 
inch beyond the bottom edge 




Fig. 11. 


D 





50 


CONTINUOUS PALM WITH CARDS 


of card, when the little and 
first fingers again press the 
card edges against the other 
two fingers, which on opening 
the hand a little brings us to 
position Fig. 12. On the hand 
being quite opened the card is 
now at the back. 

Fig. 12. 

The sleight, as will be seen, may be divided into three 
operations, i. The back palm (Figs, i to 5). 2. The re¬ 
covery and front palm (Figs. 6 to 9). 3. The reverse again 

to back (Figs. 10 to 12). To continue showing the back and 
front of hand empty, parts two and three are repeated as 
often as the performer may desire. Both hands must be 
trained to work it equally well, when all sorts of effects may 
be obtained by its means. For instance, the performer may 
commence with a card held in right hand as in Fig. 1, 
the left showing palm empty, a card being back-palmed. 
Saying, “ I will endeavour to pass this card right up my 
right sleeve and across my back, down my left sleeve into 
my left hand. Now watch me closely.” The right hand back 
palms its card simultaneously, the left hand recovers its card 
as in Fig. 6, but instead of proceeding to Fig. 7 merely 
holds the card exposed between finger and thumb as in 
Fig. 1. The left hand now back palms it, and the right 
recovers its card, and so on, with variations according as each 
individual performer’s ingenuity may suggest. The number 
of combinations of vanishes and recoveries possible is very 
large. 




TO MAKE A FALSE SHUFFLE 


5i 


TO MAKE A FALSE SHUFFLE. 

H. de MANCHE’S METHOD. 


There are many ways of making a false shuffle with a 
pack of cards, but this, which I am able to give by the 
courtesy of Mr. de Manche, is a novelty. No description of 
it has been published, so far as I am aware, and it is far 
and away the best and the most natural, while it fulfils all 
the requirements of a conjurer so far as false shuffling is 
concerned. 

Nine people out of ten take the pack lengthwise in the 
right hand and shuffle by allowing a few cards to fall into 
the left, then a few behind these, then a few in front, then 
more behind and more in front, until the whole pack is in 
the left. It may be picked up in right hand again, and run 
through once more, if the person shuffling is anxious 
thoroughly to mix the cards. Hence the naturalness of this 
false shuffle, which exactly simulates the above movements, 
and yet allows the performer to keep in prearranged order 
any number of cards. The shuffle may be used in three 
ways. 


52 


TO MAKE A FALSE SHUFFLE 


First Method of False Shuffle. —To keep any number 
of cards up to twenty or twenty-five in order on top of the 
pack. 

Hold the pack on its long side in the palm of left hand, 
the thumb being on the back of top card, and the fingers 
on the face of bottom card. Now with the thumb and 


second and third fingers of 
right hand grip the pack 
across the length, at a point 
below prearranged cards; 
the same instant slightly 
curve the first finger, which 
will bring it to about the 
top centre of the pack on 
the face of the bottom card. 
Lift the portion of the pack 
you have gripped just clear 
of the prearranged cards 

(Fig. i). 



Fig. 1.* 

Shows the act of lifting the gripped por¬ 
tion with first finger in position. 


The moment the back por¬ 
tion is clear allow the pre¬ 
arranged cards to drop from 
the thumb to the fingers of 
left hand behind, at the same 
time bring the back portion 
over into the position (next 
the thumb of left hand) just 
vacated by the prearranged 
cards (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 

The back portion is in front next thumb, 
and still gripped by thumb and second 
and third fingers of right hand. First 
finger of right hand is dividing the two 
portions and resting on the back of 
the prearranged cards. 


* In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the hands are.turned sideways to expose movements to 
reader. In actual practice the backs only of the cards are shown to audience, 
and those cards behind the first finger of right hand are not visible. 






TO MAKE A FALSE SHUFFLE 53 

Lift the right hand, rais¬ 
ing in it not only the pre¬ 
arranged cards, but also 
about half the portion which 
is now in front (Fig. 3). 

Now shuffle the cards held 
by the thumb and second 
and third fingers of the 
right hand with those re¬ 
maining in the left, and 
finish the shufifle by leaving 
the prearranged portion, 
which is behind the first finger of the right hand (Fig. 3), on 
the top of the pack, when they will be still in their proper 
order. 

Second Method False Shuffle. —To keep the top and 

bottom cards in their respective positions. 

Except that in the first movement all but about five or 
six of the top cards are lifted (Fig. 1), proceed exactly as in 
previous method, but be careful when in the act of shuffling 
(Fig. 3) to leave the bottom card in its position, finishing as 
before by placing those cards behind the first finger (Fig. 3) 
on the top of the pack, which of course brings the top card 
to its place. 

Third Method False Shuffle. —To keep the whole pack 
in a prearranged order. 

Take the arranged pack and proceed exactly as in second 
method up to the point arrived at in Fig. 3. Now comes 
a difference in working which must be closely followed. In 
the preceding methods the cards now remaining in the left 
hand and those held between the thumb and second and 
third fingers of the right hand (Fig. 3) have been fairly 
shuffled (with the exception in second method of leaving 
bottom card in position). The cards in the left hand now 
play a very important part. They should be held loosely, 
allowing them to rest upon the fingers. Bring the right 





54 TO MAKE A FALSE SHUFFLE 

hand with the other two portions upon them, simulating the 
action of dropping some of the portion held between thumb 
and second and third fingers, upon their backs, but no cards 
must be dropped. Immediately raise the right hand, throw¬ 
ing simultaneously the cards in the left over by the fingers 
on to the thumb and exposing their faces, upon which some 
few of the cards from thumb and Second and third fingers of 
right hand are visibly dropped, care being exercised not 
to disarrange their order. The cards in the left hand are 
immediately pushed over by the thumb on to the fingers, 
when the right hand again simulates the movement of 
leaving some cards, and more are visibly dropped upon the 
face of the cards held in the left hand. This is continued 
until the cards held between the thumb and second and 
third fingers of the right hand are exhausted, when those 
remaining behind the first finger are dropped en bloc upon 
the back of the cards in the left hand. This completes the 
shuffle without displacing one card. During the whole of 
the simulated shuffle the cards in the left hand should be 
kept moving backwards and forwards by the fingers and 
thumb, to perfect the illusion. 

These movements may seem difficult and complicated, 
but if followed two or three times cards in hand will be 
found to be most simple and natural. It is, in fact, one 
of the most easily acquired sleights, and absolutely deceptive 
to professional and amateur alike. 


TO FORCE A CARD 


55 


TO FORCE A CARD* 

To force a card you hand a pack, with the faces of cards 
downwards, towards one of the audience, with the request 
that he will choose a card. He does so, thinking that he is 
making a free haphazard selection. In reality the performer 
has influenced him to take a special card, the value and suit 
of which is already known to himself. 

The performer in handling the pack gets a sight of the 
bottom card, and making the two-handed pass brings this to 
the centre of the pack, keeping his little finger between the 
two halves of pack as what was the bottom half comes into 
position on the top. In offering the cards both hands hold 
the pack, the two thumbs alone on the back of cards, and the 
fingers below. The cards are now spread out fanwise, from 
left to right, and held towards the chooser. As he puts out his 
hand to take a card, about ten to fifteen of the centre cards 
are moved by the thumb of right hand from the left to right. 
This movement must be so timed that, just as the chooser’s 
finger and thumb reach the cards, the desired card comes 
between them. There must be no hurry in doing this, and 
an air of desiring to give him a specially free choice is 
conveyed by passing the cards from left to right in front of 
his hand. According as the chooser puts out his hand 
quickly or slowly to take, so must the rate of passing the 
cards from left to right be regulated. In fact, the secret of 
clever forcing of cards lies in what the French term the 
savoir faire of the performer. 

Professor Hoffmann advises, if the performer miscalculates 
his time, and the card has passed before the drawer’s choice 
is determined, that the performer should close up the cards 
again, keeping his little finger in position, and re-form them, 
making some such remark as that the drawer is difficult to 
please. I disagree with this entirely, and think that in the 
event of such a miscalculation the drawer should be allowed 


56 TO FORCE A CARD 

to take any other card, and the performer move on to 
someone else, asking them also to select a card, when he will 
no doubt successfully force the desired card. The first 
chooser’s card can be dealt with in many different ways, 
such as allowing him to replace it in pack, bringing it by 
means of the pass to the top, palming it off, telling its 
name, and discovering it from anywhere or anyone whom 
the performer may choose, and then proceeding with the 
trick in hand with the forced card. 

At first it will seem impossible that so slight a thing as 
passing the cards before a person’s hand, allowing a particular 
one to reach it at the moment of contact, can succeed in 
influencing his choice; but it does so eight or nine times out 
of ten. 

There are some people who will never take a forced card, 
taking care not to choose any that is passed before them, but 
insisting on picking one from close to either top or bottom. 
The performer in such a case should appear pleased at their 
selection, and treat it as above described, forcing the right 
card on to someone else. To appear the least disappointed 
at their not taking any of the fanned cards would be a 
mistake fatal to the success of the trick, at least so far as 
that person’s opinion was concerned. 

The pack may be held in one hand only and a card forced, 
when the process is the same as above, but it is as a rule 
better to use both hands. 


THE “CHANGE 


57 




With the left thumb push 
the top card forward until 
it overlaps about an inch 
(Fig. 2). 


THE “CHANGE,” 


Fig. 2 . 


Bring the right hand to 
the pack so that the card to 
be exchanged shall slide be¬ 
tween the first and second 
fingers of the left hand. 
This will bring the top card 
from the pack between the 
thumb and first finger of 
the right hand (Fig. 3). 


When it is desired to ex¬ 
change a card for another in 
full view of audience the 
sleight is as follows: Show 
the card to be exchanged 
(as in Fig. 1), then grasp it 
between the first and second 
fingers of the right hand, the 
pack being in the left hand 
as if about to deal. 





THE CHANGE 


58 

The left hand must then be moved away, the first finger 
being withdrawn so that the 
card left there joins the rest 
of the pack at the bottom. 

It is essential that the right 
hand be not moved further 
at all, until the left with the 
pack has been moved well 
away, otherwise the illusion 
is lost (Fig. 4). 

The whole movement should be made with a graceful 
swing of both arms from right to left. The right hand and 
arm commence the swing across the front of the body (Fig. 1). 
On reaching the left with pack (Fig. 3) this hand falls into and 
continues the movement to position of Fig. 4. Charles 
Bertram, from whose hands the photographs are taken, de¬ 
scribes this as a “ waltz-time ” swing of the hands. Both the 
manipulation of the change and the necessary swing are easy 
of acquirement. 

There are many occasions in the course of card tricks when 
this change can be utilised. It is introduced with good effect 
amongst the preliminary display of passes, palms, and manipu¬ 
lations with the pack, so often shown before some definite card 
trick. In this case the change is made with the remark, “If 
I desire to change this card I have simply to touch it upon 
my coat (or dress)—so. Instead of the three of hearts we have 
now the ace of clubs,” or whatever it may be. Whilst saying, 
“ If I desire to change this card,” the change is made so that 
as the latter half of the sentence, “ I have simply to touch, 
etc.,” is spoken the card is actually touched upon the spot 
mentioned, and then turned face to audience to show the 
change. 



DEALING SECONDS 


59 


DEALING SECONDS. 

A very simple sleight, of great service in many experiments. 

Effect.— The performer appears quite fairly to deal the 
top card off the pack, but in reality the second card is dealt. 

Presentation. —The pack is held in the left hand with the 
thumb across the centre of the top card. The right hand 
approaches the pack as 
though to deal in the or¬ 
dinary way, and the thumb 
of left hand pushes forward 
two cards about an inch. 

The first finger and thumb 
of right hand grasp and 
withdraw the underneath 
one of these two, at the 
same time the thumb of 
left draws back the top 
card flush with the others on top of the pack. 

Neatly done, as it may be with a little practice, this is an 
absolutely undetectable sleight, even at the closest quarters. 
As many cards as are desired may be dealt off in this way, the 
sleight being made as each card is dealt, the top card all the 
time never leaving its position. 



Simultaneously the right hand takes second 
card away and thumb of left withdraws 
the top card to the top of pack. 




6 o DEALING SECONDS FROM BOTTOM 


DEALING SECOND CARD FROM BOTTOM 
OF PACK* 

A sleight similar to.“ Dealing Seconds/’ but less frequently 
needed. 

Effect. —Apparently the bottom card is dealt from pack, 
but in reality the card next above it is removed. 


Presentation.— The per¬ 
former holds the pack in 
his left hand, as in Fig. i, 
taking care that the little 
finger is beyond the end 
of the cards. 



Fig. 1. 


As the right hand 
approaches to take the 
bottom card the middle 
finger pushes it back about 
a quarter or half an inch 
(Fig. 2); this is quite con¬ 
cealed by the little finger. 



Fig. 2. 

A back view, showing bottom card 
pushed back. 







DEALING SECONDS FROM BOTTOM 6 


The right hand removes 
the next card (Fig. 3), and 
as it withdraws this, the 
third finger of left hand 
slides the real bottom card 
back flush with the others. 
This also is quite an un¬ 
detectable sleight, however 
close the onlooker may be, 
and as many cards can be 
taken one after the other 
as is desired, the bottom 
card being always retained 
in its position. 



Fig. 3. 

The right hand removes the second from 
bottom, the bottom one being now 
slightly pushed back under cover of 
the third and fourth fingers of left 
hand. 


62 TO CHANGE FRONT CARD OF PACK 


TO CHANGE THE FRONT CARD OF PACK* 

Of very little practical use 
in tricks, but is a neat sleight 
to show amongst others when 
displayingseveral passes and 
changes with cards. 

Hold the pack in left hand, 
the bottom card facing au¬ 
dience. The thumb must be 
at the upper side of pack, 
the first finger at end, and 
the second, third, and little fingers at lower side (Fig. i). 
The performer says, “ I have only to pass my hand over the 
front of the pack to change the 
value of any card which may be 
there.” Suiting the action to the 
word, the right hand is passed 
straight across the front of the 
pack and withdrawn, bringing away 
with the thumb the last card at the 
back of pack, the first finger of the 
left hand pushing the back card 
into the fork of right thumb (Fig. 2). 

“ That is all I need to do—simply 
pass my hand across the pack,” pro¬ 
ceeds the performer. 

“ Now watch me very closely. 

We have here the nine of diamonds. 

If I want that card to change, all 
I have to do is to pass my hand 
across the cards—so. And you see 
the nine of diamonds changes into 
the king of spades.” 

Fig. 3. 



Fig. 2. 

Hand has been passed across and 
withdrawn with the last card 
from back held between thumb 
and fingers and palm. 




Fig. 1. 




TO CHANGE FRONT. CARD OF RACK 63 


Whilst speaking, the right 
hand is passed slowly over 
the cards—this time with a 
downward movement—leav¬ 
ing the card it holds on the 
front. The more slowly, up 
to a certain point, the hand 
is passed over this second 
time, the better the effect 
(F>g- 4 )- 



Fig. 4. 





SOME SIMPLE CARD TRICKS 


E 






TELLING CARDS 


67 


TO TELL THE CARD AT WHICH ANY 
MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE 
MAY CUT A PACK* 

L. GRAHAM LEWIS’S METHOD. 

A drawing-room trick requiring very little skill, and yet 
appearing very marvellous. Suitable for either sex. 

Time Occupied. —A couple of minutes. 

Effect.— A new pack of cards, with government seal 
intact, is opened by any member of the company. Several 
others present are invited to cut the cards, and hold the 
portions they cut with faces towards themselves. The per¬ 
former then tells one after another the card at which they 
cut, and upon their showing them every card is found to 
have been correctly named. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A new pack of cards, 
with seal unbroken; no preparation. 

Presentation of Trick 

demonstration of second 
sight, the performer hands 
the pack to someone, to 
satisfy the others that it 
is new and untampered 
with. He requests him 
to break the seal, and 
then takes the cards, lay¬ 
ing them flat upon his 
hand, as in Fig. 1. 



Fig 1. 


68 


TELLING CAEDS 


Walking from one to 
another of those present, 
he requests five or six of 
them to cut some of the 
cards, and hold them 
facing themselves, as in 
Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2. 


When all have cut, as 
he walks back to his table 
the performer gets a sight 
of the top remaining card 
by bending it down for 
a second at one corner 
with his thumb, as in 

Fig. 3- 

Fig. 3. 

We will say that the top remaining card is the eight of 
spades. On arriving at his table, he places the cards down, 
and, turning, walks back towards the last person who cut, 
saying, “ Now, please, look at me. Yes, I see it; you cut at 
the nine of spades.” This he knows, because cards when 
sent out by most makers are arranged in order of values 
downwards, each suit separately; so that if the eight of 
spades was left below the cut, the card cut must have been 
the nine. “ Kindly show whether I am right. Yes, I thought 
so; thank you,” taking his cards; and in turning to the one 
who cut before him, get sight of top card as before, and 
quickly say, “And you, sir, cut at such-and-such a card,” 
naming the next above that just seen. “ Am I right ? Yes ; 
thank you.” Then take his cards and proceed as before 
until all are told. 

The writer has purchased packs not so arranged. The 
performer should make sure that the brand of cards he uses 
are from a maker who does so arrange them. 







CATCHING TWO CHOSEN CARDS 69 


CATCHING TWO CHOSEN CARDS FROM A PACK 
THROWN INTO THE AIR* 


MDLLE. PATRICE’S METHOD. 


A quick, startling little trick, suitable for gentleman or lady. 

Time Occupied. —A minute or two. 

Effect. —Two of the audience each choose a card, which is 
shown to the company, replaced, and shuffled in the pack. The 
performer throws the pack into the air, and plunging his hand 
amongst the falling cards, catches the two which were chosen. 

Requisites. —A pack of cards. 

Presentation of Trick. —Two cards are chosen and shown 
to the audience, at the request of the performer, who turns 
away at the time, so that there shall be no idea that he can 
see them. The two who chose cards are now requested to 
replace them in the pack. In moving from the first to the 
second person the performer makes the pass, bringing the 
chosen card to the top and catching sight of it. The second 
card is similarly replaced at the bottom. 

The performer now shuffles the pack—making a false 
shuffle, and keeping both cards in position. The two cards 
are next both drawn a little in towards the hand so as to 
overlap the rest of pack about half an inch, as shown in 
the photograph. The per- 


sir, the seven of clubs ” 
(naming the second card 
chosen). “ My trick is to 
throw the pack into the 


case may be), “and you, 


and says, “You, sir, chose 
a five of hearts ” (as the 


side is away from audience, 


former has the cards in 
right hand, and turns to 
the left, so that his right 



The top and bottom cards, which are the 
chosen ones, overlapping the others 
ready for the throw in the air. 




70 CATCHING TWO CHOSEN CARDS 

air.” The right hand now throws the pack into the air, 
pinching the two overlapping cards together, which remain 
in the right hand. This instantaneously goes down out of 
sight behind the right leg away from audience, and as quickly 
is dashed up again amongst the falling cards, the appearance 
being that the two cards are caught from the falling pack. 
“And catch your two cards, sirs,” adding laughingly, “and 
perhaps you will not mind picking up the remainder.” Do 
not allow the assistant to pick them up, but the remark 
creates a diversion. 


DISCOVERY OF A CHOSEN CARD 71 


NOVEL DISCOVERY OF A CHOSEN CARD. 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF L. GRAHAM LEWIS. 

An effective little trick for room or stage, suitable to per¬ 
former of either sex. 

Time Occupied. —About a minute. 

Effect. —A card is chosen, marked, and returned to the 
pack, the cards shuffled, and placed upon table. The per¬ 
former tilts the table sharply forward, jerking all the cards 
on to the floor, except one which remains in the centre of the 
table, and on examination is found to be the actual marked 
card. 

Requisites and Preparation.— A piece of black thread, 
about a yard in length, one end of which is fastened to the 
bottom button of performer’s waistcoat, or to lady’s belt. At 
the other end of the thread is a knot, and stuck round the 
knot a little pellet of ordinary conjurer’s wax. This knot 
end is pressed on to the button, the wax holding it there; 
the thread hangs in a loop free in front of performer’s body. 
The length of the thread must be adjusted so that when 
performer stands behind the table and tilts it forward, the 
waxed end of the thread just reaches to the centre of table. 

Presentation of Trick. — The pack is handed to any 
member of the audience, with the request that a card be 
chosen, shown to the company, and marked with the initials 
of the chooser. The performer holds the pack open, with 
faces upward, and the card is placed in it. The pass is 
made bringing the card to the top of the pack, and a false 
shuffle follows. In walking back to the table the wax pellet 
is taken from the waistcoat button and pressed against the 
top of pack. On reaching the table the cards are placed on 
it face upwards, and the performer asks, pointing to the top 


72 DISCOVERY OF A CHOSEN CARD 

card, “Is that your card?” (Fig. i). “No” “But I believe 
this is.” Whilst speaking he tilts the table sharply forward, 
the rest of the pack fly on to the floor, but the pellet of wax 
on the thread retains the chosen card in its position (Fig. 2). 
The card is picked up and handed down, to show that it is 
the actual card, and the thread snapped off and dropped ht 
the performers convenience. 








CARD THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF 73 


TO SHAKE A CHOSEN CARD THROUGH A 
HANDKERCHIEF* 

An effective little trick suitable for gentleman or lady. 

Time Occupied. —Three or four minutes. 

Effect. —A member of the audience chooses any card from 
the pack, and replaces it, laying the pack upon the hand¬ 
kerchief, into which it is entirely folded. The corners of the 
handkerchief are held, and the chosen card is shaken right 
through the centre of the handkerchief. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A pack of cards; a silk 
handkerchief. 

Presentation of Trick. —The performer offers the pack of 
cards to someone, whom he asks to choose a card and show 
it to the company. He then takes the rest of the cards in his 
left hand, and desires that the chosen card be replaced, divid¬ 
ing the pack at about the middle by lifting off about half of 
the cards with the right hand. As the card is placed on the 
lower half, which is in his left hand, the little finger of that 
hand is inserted above it, and as the top half is placed upon 
it the two-handed pass is made, and the chosen card is 
brought to the top of the pack. The handkerchief is now 
picked up from the table (or one may be borrowed), and the 
gentleman or lady assistant is asked to hold it for a moment. 
As if by an afterthought the performer says, “Oh, but 
perhaps you will be so good as to shuffle the cards,” palming 
the chosen card and then handing the pack with the right 
hand (as in Fig. 11, p. 44), 


74 


CARD THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF 


and the handkerchief is taken 
back and held as in Fig. i. 


Fig. 1. 

The handkerchief is shaken out 
thus. The card palmed in right 
hand. 

The right hand is quickly 
placed under the handker¬ 
chief at about the centre. 

The pack, which is now 
shuffled, is taken from the 
assistant with the left hand, 
and placed upon the hand¬ 
kerchief immediately over 
the chosen card, which is in 
the right hand underneath 
(see Fig. 2). 

Fig. 2. 

Pack placed on handkerchief directly over 
the chosen card in right hand. 




mm 






CARD THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF 


75 


The handkerchief is now folded 
over the cards as in Fig. 3, say¬ 
ing, “We will cover the pack in 
the handkerchief—so.” 



Fig. 3. 

The handkerchief doubled over the 
pack. 


The left hand grasps the pack 
and also the card beneath (Fig. 
4), and the right hand gathers 
up the loose ends of the hand¬ 
kerchief (Fig. 4), 


Fig. 4. 

Left hand grasps pack and card 
beneath, and right hand gathers 
ends of handkerchief. 

allowing the pack to fall gently into the position of Fig. 5. 






76 CARD THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF 



Fig. 5a. 

Back view of Fig. 5. 


Fig. 5. 

Handkerchief is held thus. 


Fig. 5 a is a back view of the handkerchief and pack as in 
Fig. 5, showing the chosen card between the folds of the 
handkerchief. 

A pretence is made of draw¬ 
ing the card out by passing the 
left hand up and down in front 
of the handkerchief, saying, 

“You can see your card, can 
you not?” The assistant will 
reply in the negative, where¬ 
upon a slight shake of the hand¬ 
kerchief will bring the card out 
of the fold as in Fig. 6, the 
performer exclaiming, “ No ! 

Why, there it is.” 

Fig. 6. 

The card is shaken slowly out. 

If instead of allowing the assistant at the beginning of 
trick to choose any card one is forced on him, its name may 
be told. This adds a little effect when the hand is being 
passed in front and the performer says, “You can see your 
card, can you not?” He may point to the pack and say, 
“ No ! Why, I can ; there it is. Look, the eight of diamonds,” 
or as the case may be. 














MORE ADVANCED CARD TRICKS 






MANIPULATIONS WITH CARDS 79 


SOME MANIPULATIONS WITH CARDS. 

PAUL VALADON’S METHOD 

It is the practice of most conjurers to preface tricks with 
cards with a few passes and manipulations of the pack. 
In case a volunteer assistant from the audience is required, 
and no one seems very ready to assume the role of “ the 
professor’s dummy,” these passes very well fill in the time 
as a stop-gap, whilst someone more venturesome than his 
comrades decides to risk it. Suitable for either sex. 

Time Occupied. —A couple of minutes. 

Effect. —The performer takes several cards and vanishes 
them, and causes their reappearance in different directions 
and ways in a most perplexing manner. 


Presentation of Trick. —Three or 
four cards are taken in the right hand 
as in Fig. 1. 



Fig. 1. 


The left hand is shown empty, and 
the cards allowed to fall upon the 
palm of right hand (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 







8 o MANIPULATIONS WITH CARDS 


The right hand is now brought up to the left, as though 
transferring the cards to the left hand (Fig. 3). In reality 
the cards are palmed in the right hand. Fig. 3# shows 



Fig. 3. 


Fig. 3a. 

an exposed view of how the left hand presses the cards 
into palm of right hand whilst appearing to take them. 
The left hand at the instant of the right palming the cards 
is turned back to audience. 

The right hand is passed across 
the back of the hand from right to 
left from the wrist to just beyond the 
finger-tips, as though drawing the 
cards through the left hand by some 
sort of magnetism (Fig. 4). 




Fig. 4. 



MANIPULATIONS WITH CARDS 81 


The right hand thumb now grasps 
the corner of the cards and bends 
them right over into the palm of the 
hand (Figs. 5 a and 5 b). This allows 
the right hand to pass once again 
across the back of left, but this time 
with fingers open , so disarming any 
suspicion of the cards yet being in 
right hand (Fig. 5). 



Fig. 5. 



Fig. 5a. Fig. 5 b. 

The right hand now drops naturally to 
the side, and the left is turned slowly 
over and discovered quite empty, the right 
quietly, and as though unexpectedly, re¬ 
covering the cards from the back of right 
knee (Fig. 6). 

Fig. 6. 



F 






82 MANIPULATIONS WITH CARDS 


The cards are next held between 
first finger and thumb of right hand, 
and -the left hand is passed across the 



Fig. 7. 


front of right hand, as though taking 
them from the right (Figs. 7 and 8). 



Fig. 8. 


In reality the right hand back 
palms them under cover of the left 
as it passes. The audience look to 
see the cards produced from the left 
hand, and are startled upon the left 
hand also being quietly opened as in 
Fig. 9. 



Fig. 9. 


A certain mysteriousness of manner is always advisable 
when making these or other manipulations. 



PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 83 


PASSING TWELVE CARDS UP SLEEVE INTO 
POCKET. 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

An exceedingly effective sleight—good in any part of a 
programme. Can be performed by gentleman or lady, but 
is not specially recommended to ladies, as ladies have no 
pocket conveniently placed to show the trick to advantage. 

Time Occupied. —From seven to twelve minutes. 

Effect. —A pack of cards is divided into several heaps, 
and the audience choose from which heap or heaps the 
performer shall take the cards required for the trick—just 
to show that no prearranged cards are used. The performer 
takes twelve cards in the left hand at arm’s length, and each 
time he makes a little flip with these cards one is passed 
along the sleeve into right-hand trouser pocket and taken out 
in the right hand, which is shown to be empty as it enters the 
pocket. The flip is repeated until all twelve cards have been 
singly or in pairs, as desired, passed across in this way. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A pack of cards; no 
preparation. 

Presentation of Trick. —A whole pack of cards is divided 
into five heaps on a table, and a lady is asked to choose 
one of these by giving a number—either one, two, three, four, 
or five—denoting thereby the heap which she selects. Another 
lady is asked to choose a heap by giving a number. A little 
pleasant patter can here be put in. If the lady or ladies 
choose two and four, the performer remarks, “The ladies 
have chosen the even numbers; that’s odd—I should say 
peculiar.” If they choose one and three, then say, “ Certainly, 
mesdames, ‘ there’s luck in odd numbers,’ says Rory O’More,” 
or some such remark. The performer takes up the two 


8 4 PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 



chosen packs, saying that he wants to take twelve cards, 
and if they are selected from the two chosen packs it does 
away with any idea in the minds of the audience that he has 
a duplicate pack of cards, or that the cards are prearranged. 

The remainder of 
the cards are stack¬ 
ed together and laid 
on one side. The 
performer now says 
to the audience, “ I 
should like you to 
remember the 
names of these 
cards as I pass 
them before you,” 
and then, fanning 
the cards (Fig. i), 
passes them rapidly 
from right to left, 
counting quickly, 
“ One, two, three, 
four,” etc., up to 
twelve. This done, 
he says, “ Now you 
know the names of 
them all.” The 
audience show 
signs that they cannot possibly remember the names of 
all the cards, and the performer obligingly offers to count 
them again, this time more deliberately—“ One, two, three, 
four, five,” etc. When he arrives at six he inserts (of course 
unseen by the audience) the little finger of his left hand, 
and goes on counting up to twelve, saying, “ Well, now you 
will remember at least a few of the cards sufficiently to know 
that I do not use a duplicate pack. Now, my trick is this: 
to pass these cards one at a time from my left hand, up my 
sleeve, along the invisible line of influence, into my pocket, 
which is quite empty.” Here pull out lining of right trouser 


Fig. 1. 

Fanning cards second time, counting slowly, and in 
* serting little finger of left hand after sixth card. 


PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 85 


pocket, remarking, “You see my pocket is quite empty— 
which is nothing unusual” 



Fig. 2. 

PALMING THE SIX CARDS. 

The palming off is exaggerated and exposed in this 
photograph. It must be absolutely neatly and in- 
detectably done, or the whole trick is spoiled. The 
right hand should be in position of Fig. 3. 


Whilst speaking 
hold the twelve 
cards in left hand 
and allow the right 
hand to come to 
them once or twice, 
as though uncon¬ 
sciously, to square 
them up, each time 
as you remove it 
allowing the audi¬ 
ence to see into the 
palm, being careful 
that the upward 
movement appears 
natural, and not as 
though you were try¬ 
ing to show the palm 
empty. At the fourth 
or fifth time you 
bring the right hand 
to the cards just as 
you are saying 
“ which is nothing 
unusual,” palm six 
cards (Fig. 2) in the 
right. 









86 PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 



' 


Remove the left 
with the other six 
to extended posi¬ 
tion, and let it re¬ 
turn, placing the six 
into right again 

(Fig- 3)-.. 


Fig. 3. 

Immediately after palming the six cards return the 
other six from left into the right, and show left 
empty. Then retake the six into left. This does 
away with the idea of your having palmed any, 
should any suspicion have arisen on this point. 






PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 


87 





Fig. 4. 


Then take the six 
into left hand again, 
saying, “You will 
notice the cards pass 
one at a time up my 
sleeve,” and holding 
out left arm to its 
full extent (Fig. 4) 
make a riffle* of the 
cards, at the same 
moment giving a 
delicate little pull 
with the right hand 
at the left sleeve at 
the elbow, and say, 
“ One card has al¬ 
ready passed into 
my pocket.” 


Make the “flip ” with corner ot cards, at the same time 
giving a little pull at elbow of sleeve with right 
hand containing the palmed cards. 


* The riffle is made by running the third or little finger sharply across the 
edges of one corner of the pack, making a clicking sound. 



88 PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 



Thrusting the right 
hand into right 
trouser pocket 
(Fig. 5), pull out 
one card and leave 
five cards in pocket. 
Throwing down on 
the table one card, 
remark, “Now I 
have eleven in my 
hand. Another the 
same way.” Make 
another riffle, and 
a second card is 
taken out of the 
pocket; “another,” 
and a third card 
is removed, each 
time a riffle being 
made with the 
Fig. 5. cards ; “ another,” 

Thrusting the right hand into trouser pocket, leaving {-J^g hand is placed 
five cards there and drawing out one. ^ 

into pocket, but 

withdrawn without the card. Remarking that “it did not 
squeak that time,” pull the sleeve at elbow, saying, “Ah, 
that’s right! the card had caught at the elbow,” and quickly 
pull card out of pocket. Another riffle and the fifth card is 
removed. 








PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 89 



“ How many should 
I have in my hand ? 
You, sir” (to a 
gentleman in the 
audience). “ Five 
from twelve — 
seven,” he answers; 
and you say, 
“ Thanks; the 
gentleman guessed 
rightly the first 
time.” Then count. 
As the performer 
has only six cards 
in his hands, he 
makes a false count 
as he moves his 
right thumb down¬ 
wards, making it 
appear that seven 
cards are in left 
hand instead of six 
Fig. 6. (Fig. 6). To make 

Making the false count. There are really six in the this false COUnt 
hand, but by making seven quick downward move- Cards are held 

ments with the right hand, and counting quickly 

“one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,” the deception as if tO deal, and 
is perfect. the cards drawn off 

with the right thumb, one at a time, with a kind of snapping 
noise as each card is removed, one snap being made with 
the right thumb on the edge of the other cards without re¬ 


moving one. This is not distinguishable when counting 
quickly and evenly, and it appears that seven cards have 
been counted. 




9 o PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 


The performer then desires two of the audience to hold his 
wrists, and, making the riffle, declares that a card has passed 
into his pocket. It is of course not believed, but the assistant 
on the right is told to put his hand into the performer’s pocket, 
without quitting his hold on the wrist; he does so, and takes 
out the last of the six cards originally palmed. The performer 
immediately properly counts the cards in his left hand, and 
one has apparently been found to have gone, as only six cards 
are there. 

As the performer counts these six cards he secretly intro¬ 
duces his little finger under the third card, ready for palming. 
Remarking that “every card in his hand goes in a similar 
manner,” he palms three cards off, and takes them as before 
into right pocket. Leaving two in the pQcket and drawing 
out one, he says, “ Here’s the next—seven ; leaving five in my 
hand.” The performer rapidly counts the remaining cards 
(really three), saying, “ One, two, three, four, five,” making a 
false count by means of the above-described little pushing 
movement as if five cards were there. “Now I will pass two 
cards together.” This time he makes two flips or riffles with 
the cards, remarking, “Two cards went that time”; and 
placing his right hand into his pocket produces them. 
“ There are only three remaining now,” he says, pretending 
to hear a remark from the audience. “ That lady says, ‘ Wait 
until he comes to the last card, then we shall catch him.’ Of 
course, the last card is the only one you see go.” At the 
moment he takes the three cards into his right hand and 
“ back palms ” them, showing the right hand empty. 


PASSING CARDS UP SLEEVE 


9i 



Quickly he re¬ 
covers them from 
behind the right 
knee, and appar¬ 
ently placing them 
into left hand (Fig. 
7 ), really palmed in 
right, the back of 
the left hand is 
turned to audience. 
With a small rub¬ 
bing movement, the 
left hand is turned 
and shown empty, 
and the three cards 
taken from right 
pocket. 


Fig. 7. 

The last three cards are placed apparently into left 
hand, but are really palmed in right and produced 
from trouser pocket. 


It is absolutely essential in this trick that it should be 
slowly and nonchalantly performed. The least hurried move¬ 
ment at any time when any cards are palmed in right hand 
will give the secret away. The amateur will find every 
temptation to hurry the cards into pocket, as their abstraction 
is so barefaced that he is sure at first to feel that what he is 
doing will be seen by the audience. This idea must be 
absolutely disregarded ; for it is only the natural slow and 
easy movement of the right hand at the time when it has 
cards palmed which gives the trick its “ finish ” and absolute 
deception. 


92 


THE DIMINISHING CARDS 


THE DIMINISHING CARDS* 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

Very good to follow the “Passing Cards up the Sleeve” 
trick, pp. 83-91, or any other trick which has left the cards 
spread upon the table. Suitable for either a lady or gentle¬ 
man. Gracefully performed, is very effective in a lady’s hands. 

Time Occupied. —Five minutes. 

Effect. —The performer picks up several cards and passes 
his hand in front of them, reducing them to half the size; 
again passes the hand in front and the cards become less, and 
so on, until at last the tiny cards (about ij in. long) which 
remain vanish altogether. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Several ordinary cards, 
which we will call in explanation No. 1. Five cards of a 
smaller size (No. 2 in explanation), joined together at the 
centre of one end with a thread, so 4 that they can be 
“fanned ” out. hive cards smaller still (No. 3 in explanation), 
about ij in. long, also joined as above. These two smaller 
sets (Nos. 1 and 2) are put into left-hand trouser pochette. 
Many conjurers use three sizes of smaller cards, and when 
purchasing the diminishing cards probably three sizes will be 
given by the seller, but I advise 
discarding one and working the 
trick as explained here. 

Presentation of Trick. —At the 
conclusion of any card trick which 
leaves the cards upon the table, 
advance to the table with the left 
arm away from the audience and 
pick up a card with the right hand 
(Fig. 1), whilst your left takes 
packs Nos. 2 and 3 from the left 
pocket and palms them, the faces 
towards the palm, and No. 3 
nearest the fingers (see Fig. 2) or 
undermost. 





Fig. 2. 

Showing correct position for the three 
sets in left hand. 


THE DIMINISHING CARDS 93 

The card picked up from the table should be of the same 
suit and value as the front 
card of the sets Nos. 2 and 3 
—say the five of spades, as in 
the photographs. This or¬ 
dinary card you now place 
in the left hand, which has 
the sets Nos. 2 and 3 
palmed, and picking up three 
or four more from the table 
you place them behind this, 
making set No. 1 of ordinary 
sized cards. You now have 
sets 1, 2, and 3 in the left 
hand, the audience seeing 
only No. 1 (Fig. 2). 

The description above 

seems long, but the whole thing is the work of two or 
three seconds and a couple of movements. 

Immediately upon making up 
your No. 1 pack with the two or 
three cards from table, fan them 
out (Fig. 3), and ask the audience 
if they have ever observed that 
playing cards are very elastic; that 
is to say, they can be stretched 
or diminished quite easily at will. 

Would they like it proved to 
them ? Certainly, you will be only 
too delighted to make those you 
have in your hand smaller, to show 
them how simple a matter it is. 

If you have an .accompanist at 
the piano you ask for “a little 
very soft diminishing music.” Take 
your wand in right hand and touch the cards. Place wand 
under left arm, and with right hand push together the five 
fanned cards, at the same time pushing them lower into 


Fig. 3. 

Fanning out No. 








94 


THE DIMINISHING CARDS 


4 



Fig. 4. 

Second fanning out of set No. 1 
Lonly half showing. 



Fig. 5. 

To palm off set No. 1 at the instant of 
closing up the fanned cards bring right 
hand sharply to position here shown, and 
then, bending over the fingers quickly, 
palm No. 1 and grasp and draw up No. 2 
set, and all in one movement fan these 
out. The effect of this is as though you 
had simply closed up the fanned cards 
and refanned them, so making them 
smaller, "^his is a difficult palm, but 
very neat when well done. 


the left hand, so that when (as you immediately do) you 
withdraw your right hand, at the same time fanning the 
cards again, only half of their faces is seen (Fig. 4), 
remarking, “How much smaller they have grown already!” 
The illusion of this hiding half of the card is much more 
perfect than anyone would believe who has not seen it done. 
Even in the photograph they appear smaller, but to an 
audience it appears absolutely as though they were a smaller 
pack. Next push the No. 1 set together again with the 
right hand, and in the act of closing them up palm them off 
in right hand (Fig. 5), at the same instant pulling up with 
the fingers (Fig. 6) No. 2 set, and also fanning them (Fig. 7). 

Now turn to table and pick up a card with right hand, 
leaving on the table amongst the others the four cards which 
were palmed in this hand, and holding the picked-up card 
beside the smaller pack, remark, “You see how much smaller 
they are than originally, but perhaps you would like them 
smaller still. With pleasure. I will squeeze them again. 
Delighted, I am sure.” Close the fan and push No. 2 pack 










THE DIMINISHING CARDS 


95 



Fig. 6. Fig. 7. 

These figures (6 and 7) expose for readers’ convenience the palmed No. 1 set, which, 
as the fingers are held lower forward than here shown, are not at all exposed 
to audience in working the trick. 

half-way down into hand and refan them (Fig. 8 ), just as you 
did before with No. i, saying, “You see, I only need to squeeze 



Fig. 8. 


No. 2 pack half shown. 


Fig. 9. 


Bring up No. 3, the smallest size. 


them a little and they contract. The real secret of this is, 
that it is all done by kindness and mental force upon the 
cards.” 

Reclose the fan and palm off No. 2 set, pulling up No. 3 














96 


THE DIMINISHING CARDS 


(Fig. 9), just as described above for No. 1. Turn sharply 
to your right and take a step in that direction, holding out 
the No. 3 set, as though to show to a lady or gentleman more 
closely, saying, “Wonderful, isn’t it? You see, I have only 
to squeeze them to make them as small as I wish.” This 
movement will have brought the right hand, containing No. 2 
set, out of sight of the audience, and it thus, under cover 
of the body, can drop No. 2 into the right profonde. You 
do not actually hand the No. 3 set to anyone, but draw back 
your hand, saying, “Would you like still smaller? Well, 
they are very small now, but I will try.” Close up and push 
No. 3 further into hand, and then palm them in right hand, 
under the first and second joints of the fingers, whilst 
appearing to place them in your left (Fig. 10); and taking 
the wand in right hand from under the left arm, where it has 



Fig. 10 . 

Palm No. 3 in right whilst ap¬ 
pearing to place them in left 
hand. 


Fig. 11. 

These are the smallest cards 
I can show you this evening.” 


been carried all through this trick when not in use, touch 
the left hand with it, and slowly rubbing the fingers of left 
together show hand empty, remarking, “These are the 
smallest cards I can show you this evening” (Fig. 11). 

In returning to table, the smallest set of cards, No.] 3, are 
dropped into right profonde. 




97 


BACK PALMING ANI) RECOVERY 


BACK PALMING AND RECOVERY OF 
FOUR CARDS. 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF PAUL VALADON. 

This can either be shown amongst manipulations with 
cards or as a separate trick. Suitable to either sex. 

Time Occupied. —Four to five minutes. 

Effect. —The performer takes a card in his right hand, and 
with a slight upward movement the card vanishes, and the 
hand is shown not to have the card concealed either at back 
or front. Another card is taken and vanished, and the hand 
is again shown empty back and front; and so on until four 
cards have disappeared in this mysterious manner. The 
right hand now catches the cards one by one from the air. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A bright metal upright 
rod about two feet long, with a small, weighty, turned base, 
to enable it to stand firmly on the performer’s table. Attached 
to the rod are four clips, similar to gentlemen’s tie clips, into 
each of which a card can be slipped. 

Presentation of Trick. — The performer opens by dis¬ 
playing the little stand, and, setting it upon his table, says, 
“ This rod has four little clips. Into each of these clips I 
place one card,” suiting the action to the word. “ Now I 
take one card—so ” ; meanwhile taking the top card by the 
tips of first finger and thumb of the right hand, with its palm 
well open to the audience, and withdrawing it from the clip. 
“This card I will vanish —so” A slight upward jerk of the 
hand covers the back palming of the card. 


G 


98 BACK PALMING AND RECOVERY 


“Now I will take one more.” The 
second card is taken, again with tips 
of finger and thumb, the first re¬ 
maining back-palmed. 



Fig. 1. 


The left hand is now brought up, 
and openly takes the second card 
from the right (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 

As it does so the right-hand fingers are closed. This 
brings the back-palmed card behind the second card, and the 
left really takes both cards, whilst appearing only to take 
the second one. This movement is explained by Figs. 3 and 4. 



Fig. 3. 

This shows the right hand bending be¬ 
hind the left, which has just taken 
the second card. The first card is 
shown coming round to lie behind 
the first in left hand. Both hands 
are bent forward to expose the move¬ 
ment; in actual practice the flat, 
open left hand entirely conceals the 
right. 


Fig. 4. 

An exposed back view, showing position 
of left hand in front of right as the 
back-palmed card is brought round 
into the left hand. 






BACK PALMING AND RECOVERY 


99 


This allows the right hand to be 
shown empty, both back and front 
(Fig- 5); whilst the left hand appears 
to hold the card just taken, but has 
actually both cards, one behind the 
other. 

The audience having seen the right hand undoubtedly 
empty, back and front, he now takes the two cards (the 
audience see only one, and great care must be taken to hold 
both firmly together, that the illusion may be sustained) 
between the tips of first finger and thumb, as before, and 
with the same upward movement they are back-palmed. 

The right hand, with these two back-palmed, now goes 
once more to the rod and withdraws the third card between 
first finger and thumb. The left again comes up, as though 
to take this card for an instant, whilst the right hand is again 
shown empty back and front. In reality the above-described 
movement is again made, and the left really takes the two 
back-palmed cards behind this third card. 

The three are now taken by right hand and back-palmed; 
and, as before, the greatest care must be taken to keep the 
three well together as the right retakes them, that the 
audience may only see one. 

The fourth card is now taken, the right hand being shown 
empty by the above method, and the four back-palmed. 

Remarking that “ it is just 
as simple a matter to catch 
cards in the air as to vanish 
them,” the right hand makes 
a grab in the air, and catches 
one card. In order to do 
this the little finger must be 
very slightly relaxed, allows 
ing the edge of one of the 
back-palmed cards to escape 
(Fig. 6). 




Fig. 5. 


Fig. 6. 



ioo BACK PALMING AND RECOVERY 


The little finger instantly 
presses tightly against the 
edges of the remaining three 
cards, and the first finger 
moves along the upper side 
of the other edge of released 
card 


and comes down behind it, 
regripping the three back- 
palmed cards and holding 
the released one between it¬ 
self and the thumb. 



Fig. 7. 



Fig. 8. 

This must all be done in one instantaneous movement, so 
as to convey to the audience the impression of a card being 
caught from space. 

The most difficult part, and one which requires very 
considerable practice, is the little finger’s release of the edge 
of only one card at a time. At first the learner will find that 
two or three will slip out, but gradually the nerves of the 
finger become educated, until the release of one at a time 
becomes a natural action. 

The card which has been caught is now placed in the left 
hand, and held face to audience. Another is seized as from 
the air in similar manner, and is brought down by the right 
hand and placed on the left of its predecessor, between finger 
and thumb of left hand. I<t is placed on the left of the other, 


BACK PALMING AND RECOVERY ioi 

because the right hand in bringing it down to the left passes 
behind the first card held in left hand. 

A third card is now caught (Fig. 9). 


Fig. 9. 

This is likewise brought down, passing behind the other 
two in the left hand, and placed to the left of them. In 
placing this card next to the other two the right-hand 
fingers are bent round similarly to the movement shown in 
Figs. 3 and 4, but this time the three cards in left hand form 
the cover for the movement. The second finger of left hand 
grasps the fourth back-palmed card, and presses it against 
the back of the three held in the left hand. This allows the 
right hand to be casually shown once more, empty back and 
front. Under the pretext of the right hand arranging the 
three cards in left into a slightly more regular fan shape, it 
recovers and back palms the hidden fourth card from behind 
the three. Another grab in the air, and this fourth card is 
caught as were the others, and added to the three fanned 
cards in left hand. 

The four may now be pressed together one behind the 
other, and all vanished by back-palming, or they may be 
taken and a feint made of throwing them into the air, as 
they are in reality dropped into the right profonde. 



102 


DISCOVERING CARD BLINDFOLDED 


DISCOVERING A CARD SHUFFLED INTO PACK 
BLINDFOLDED. 

MDLLE. PATRICE’S METHOD. 

A good short trick in any part of a programme, suitable to 
be shown by lady or gentleman, and may be introduced as 
a thought-reading experiment. 

Time Occupied. —Four to five minutes. 

Effect. —The performer is blindfolded by a member of the 
audience, whom he invites to shuffle a pack of cards, and 
take any one card and show it to the spectators. The card 
is next shuffled into the pack, and the pack placed, face 
downwards, upon the table. The performer, with the 
assistance of the man who chose the card, now mixes all 
the cards, face downwards, upon the table, first with the 
point of a knife and then with their hands. The performer 
touches the wrist of the assistant with one hand, and with 
the other throws the knife amongst the cards, at the same 
instant giving the name of the chosen card. The knife is 
raised, and the bandage pulled off, showing the identical card 
transfixed on the knife blade. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Pack of cards, a large 
white pocket-handkerchief to blindfold with, a penknife; no 
preparation. 

Presentation. —Invite a gentleman to assist you, and ask 
him to bandage your eyes so that it will be impossible for 
you to see. Take up the handkerchief folded to make a 
bandage, and holding the centre of it against your forehead 
and covering your eyes, ask the gentleman to tie the ends 
together at the back of your head. 

As he does this, with the hand which is holding the centre 
of handkerchief in front of the eyes pretend to pull it well 


DISCOVERING CARD BLINDFOLDED 103 

down over the eyes; in reality, take care that it comes just so 
low only as to allow of a downward glance being obtained. 
Ask him whether it is now quite impossible for you to see 
through the folded handkerchief; to which he will reply that 
you are certainly fairly blindfolded. 

“ Now, sir,’ you say, “ I believe there is a pack of cards 
upon the table. Do you mind handing them to me?” As 
he does so, put out your right 
hand towards him, and move it as 
though groping in the air to find 
his hand with the pack (Fig. 1). 
If this be not overdone, the effect 
of it being a perfect blindfold is 
emphasised. Next ask him to 
take a penknife, which he will find 
upon the table, and open one blade 
of it, replacing it upon the table. 

Now there are three ways of 
proceeding, all of which I would 
advise readers to practise, so that 
by frequently using a different 
method anyone who may have 
seen the trick performed once, and 
thought he saw how it was done, seeing it a second time 
quite differently executed is thrown right off the scent. 

One way is, whilst the assistant opens the knife, to palm 
off the top card with right hand, and give him the pack with 
the same hand to shuffle, having yourself knowledge of the 
top card before commencing the trick. When he returns the 
shuffled pack, grasp it with same hand, slipping on top the 
palmed card as you take the pack, and after making 
the two-handed pass, invite him to choose a card, forcing 
this one upon him, and asking him to show it to the com¬ 
pany, whilst you turn your back for an instant (Fig. 2). The 
second method is to immediately make the two-handed pass 
as the assistant gives you the pack from the table, and force 
the top card, which you know, and let him show it to 
audience (Fig. 2). Whilst the third and best of all, though 



Fig. 1. 

Groping for pack. 




io4 DISCOVERING CARD BLINDFOLDED 


a little more difficult, is to hand 
the assistant the pack. Let him 
shuffle the cards and retain one, 
returning the rest of the pack to 
you. After he has held it up for 
the audience to see (Fig. 2), ask 
him to replace it in the middle of 
the pack. 

Hold half the cards in the left 
hand, and the other half in the 
right, just a few inches away. He 
places the card on top of those in 
the left hand, and you immedi¬ 
ately bring down the remainder 
from right hand on top, thus ap¬ 
parently losing the card in the 
centre of the pack. In reality, as he places the card on 
those in the left hand, you slip the little finger on top of the 
corner of his card, and as soon as the other half of pack is 
placed on top of it, you have only to make the pass and his 
card comes to the top. Under the cover of asking whether 
your wand is upon the table, you instantaneously obtain 
sight of the top card. 




Now hold up the pack in right 
hand, so that assistant and audience 
can both see the bottom card, say¬ 
ing, “ Is your card at the bottom of 
the pack ? ” (Fig. 3). 


Fig. 3. 

“Is your card at the bottom of 
the pack?” 



DISCOVERING CARD BLINDFOLDED 


io 5 



“No,” he replies, and you take 
the pack in left hand, taking off 
the two top cards, but appearing 
only to have the top one, saying, 
“ Then is it at the top of the 
pack?” (Fig. 4). He will again 
reply, “ No.” 


Fig. 4. 

“Then is it at the top of the 
pack?” (The right hand 
takes two cards, appearing 
only to have the top one.) 


Replace on top of pack, and ask the assistant to guide 
your hand with pack to the table. Grope with hand till 
you find left-hand side of table, and then place the padk 


down near the edge. Lift off three- 
quarters or thereabouts of the cards, 
and place them next to the heap 
left. Repeat the process several 
times until you have, say, five heaps, 
and the chosen card is, of course, 
e 4 I on top of the fifth heap. “Now, 

sir, please give me the knife, which 
should be upon the table.” He 
does so. “ And now kindly direct 
my hand, so that the point of the 
knife touches the first of the heaps ” 
(Fig. 5). You now flip the cards 
about the table with the point of 
knife, taking care as you come to 
the fifth heap to send the top card 
a little to one side, so as not to lose sight of it. Place both 
hands, palm downwards, on the cards, and move them about, 



Fig. 5. 

Assistant directing hand with 
knife to first heap of cards. 



io6 DISCOVERING CARD BLINDFOLDED 



Fig. 6. 

Bringing up card on knife point, 
and pulling off bandage. 


was the 


mixing all the cards, and invite 
the assistant to do likewise. You, 
of course, keep the chosen card 
under the fingers of right hand 
during all the mixing up. Stop 
the mixing, and say, ‘‘ Now my 
trick is this. I shall take the knife 
and throw it* amongst the cards, 
and if I am successful it will find 
your card. Allow me to take your 
hand, sir, and concentrate all your 
thoughts for one moment upon the 
card selected.” 

Take assistant’s right hand with 
your left, and place it against your 
forehead, as though reading his 
thoughts, saying, “Yes, your card 
At the same instant release his hand, and 


throwing the knife sharply, point downwards, on to the card, 
quickly pull off the bandage from your eyes with left hand, 
whilst the right hand raises the knife, which comes up with 
the face of the card sticking on its point towards audience 
(Fig. 6). Bow your assistant off, thanking him for his help. 



THE THREE-CARD TRICK 


107 


THE THREE CARD TRICK* 

NEW METHOD BY H. DE MANCHE. 

This is an effective sleight as an after-dinner or club-room 
trick, and suits either sex. It must not, however, be repeated 
at one sitting. 

Time Occupied. —Two minutes. 

Effect. —Exactly the same as the well-known racecourse 
three-card trick, with the improvement that in placing the 
cards upon the ground, table, or assistant’s back, they are laid 
quietly down with the queen undermost and then separated 
with the tip of a finger; this does away with the shuffling 
throw down of the cards by the old three-card man. 

The performer holds to view in one hand three cards, of 
which the undermost is a queen. These he places, without 
disarranging their order, upon the table, or if in the open air 
an assistant is invited to bend down and make a table of 
his back. 

With the tip of his first finger he draws the top card to the 
right and the second card to the left, leaving the bottom card 
in the centre. The spectators are asked to pick out the queen, 
and of course select the centre card, which they saw at the 
bottom. The queen is, however, found to be the card on the 
performer’s right or left. 

Requisites and Preparation.— Any two number-cards and 
two duplicate queens, arranged as follows : queen, number- 
card, number-card, queen. 


io8 


THE THREE-CARD TRICK 


Presentation of Trick. — The 

performer takes the four cards in 
right hand and fans them, taking 
care only to show three, the bottom 
one of which is a queen (Fig. i), 
the duplicate queen being exactly 
behind the top card. Saying, “ I 

have here three cards, the -, 

and-, and the queen of hearts, 

I want you to watch me very 
closely.” 



Fig. 1. 


With the left hand press the 
cards together from the back, as 
in Fig. 2. This is done from the 
back to convey to the spectators 
that they see the faces of the cards 
with queen at bottom the whole 
time. This and every movement 
in the sleight must be slow and 
deliberate; the least semblance of 
hurry completely spoils the effect. 



Fig. 2. 







THE THREE-CARD TRICK 


109 


This brings the performer to 
the position of Fig. 3, when he 
says, “ I will now place these 
three cards upon the table.” 



Fig. 3. 


At this moment, without speak¬ 
ing, he affects to see something 
upon the surface of the table, and 
holding his left hand out, with the 
flat palm visible to the spectators, 
lays the cards longways downwards 
upon it for an instant, ostentatiously 
showing without verbally calling 
attention to it, that he does not 
disarrange them in any way, while 
his right hand makes a movement 
across the surface of table, as 
though flicking away some dust 

(Fig- 4)- 



Fig. 4. 








I IO 


THE THREE-CARD TRICK 


The right hand now takes the 
cards from the left, the bottom 
one being palmed in left hand, as 
in Fig. 5, and lays them face 
downwards upon the table (Fig. 6). 



This is a very difficult palm to 
make neatly, and needs consider¬ 
able practice. It will be found of 
great assistance if, when exhibiting 
the queen as in Fig. 3, the thumb 
of the right hand just separates 
that card from the others. The 
sleight entirely depends upon the 
way in which the right hand 
naturally takes the cards and lays 
them upon the table, and the left 
falls naturally to the side. It must 
be done in the steady, deliberate 
way in which each movement in 
this trick is made. 


Fig. 5. 



Fig. 6. 



THE THREE-CARD TRICK 


111 


The cards are now moved with 
the tip of first finger of right 
hand, the top one (the duplicate 
queen) to the right (Fig. 7). 



Fig. 7. 


The next to the left (Fig. 8), 
and spectators are invited to pick 
the queen. 



Fig. 8. 


I I 2 


THE THREE-CARD TRICK 



They naturally choose the centre 
card, which they have seen at the 
bottom all along. The performer 
then turns up the centre card, as 
in Fig. 9, which of course proves 
to be one of the other two, the 
queen being on the performer’s 
right or left as he desires. 


Fig. 9. 





THE RISING CARD TRICK 


”3 


THE RISING CARD TRICK. 

Perhaps the most effective of all card tricks. It requires 
preparation before the audience enter the room, and also the 
help of an assistant out of their sight. Suitable to either sex. 

Time Occupied. —Ten to fifteen minutes. 

Effect. —The performer asks several ladies and gentlemen 
to take cards from the pack, and whilst his back is turned 
these cards are shown to the whole of the company. The 
pack is handed round, and each replaces his or her card. 
The performer retakes the pack, and rapidly tells the names 
of two or three of the selected cards ; then he asks the next 
person who took a card whether it shall be told or shown, 
and places the pack into a large tumbler, which is put upon 
a plate on the table. At the word of command the remaining 
chosen cards rise one by one, quickly or slowly as may be 
desired, and apparently entirely on their own initiative, out of 
the glass; the performer meanwhile stands well away from 
the table. 

Requisites and Preparation.— 

A large glass of the shape of that 
in Fig. i (the size of the bowl 
of glass must be such that an 
ordinary pack of cards can just 
comfortably be placed in it without 
its being so large as to allow the 
cards to slip about; a china plate ; 
a complete pack of cards, and 
duplicate cards of two of those 
which are to be made to rise (in 
this description the queen of hearts 
and seven of clubs), and two 
H 



Fig. 1. 

Showing arrangement of table 
beforecommencingtrick. The 
handkerchief, behind which 
lie the prepared cards, is just 
seen behind the glass. 




H4 


THE RISING CARD TRICK 


duplicates of the last one (in this description the ace of 
diamonds); a reel of strong black thread; a couple of black 
pins; a pocket-handkerchief. 

The performer first chooses which cards shall be made to 
rise. These should be varied (the first must always be one 
of the queens) at each performance, as the effect would be 
considerably lessened by anyone seeing the trick performed 
more than once, and the same cards chosen, for it would give 
away the fact that they were forced. 

We will say that the queen of hearts, seven of clubs, and 
ace of diamonds are to “ rise.” 

Take about a dozen cards from the complete pack, lay 
three of them face downwards upon the table. Take the end 
of the black thread and roll it between the finger and thumb 
until an inch of it is crumpled up into a tiny ball. Lay this 
just over one end of the three cards, and allow the thread to 
pass along the centre of back of cards, and upon it lay face 
downwards another card. Lay the thread back along the 
centre of this card, and upon it lay the card which is to 
jump, face downwards. Lay more of the thread back again 
along the centre of back of this card, and lay any other card 
upon this. Lay thread again along back, and now place the 
duplicate of the jumping card (which is to be the third to 
rise), then lay thread along back again, and place any other 
card. Lay thread along back, and place the second card 
which is to rise. Thread along back and another card. 
Thread again on back of this, and then the queen, and 
thread up back of it, and two or three cards on top of this. 

Lay this part of the pack, just behind and concealed by 
the handkerchief, upon the table faces upwards, and with the 
end from which the thread emerges towards the centre. 
Leave a couple of feet of slack thread upon the table, and 
then allow the thread to pass over the back edge of table, 
exactly behind the centre where stands the glass upon the 
plate. At the spot where the thread goes over the edge put 
into the tablecloth one of the black pins, making it pass out 


THE RISING CARD TRICK 


“5 


and over the thread, and into 
the cloth again, as in Fig. 2. 

Let the thread fall to the floor, 
and insert a pin into the carpet 
and over thread and in again 
just as the one in the table¬ 
cloth, and then allow the thread 
to pass along the floor to where 
your assistant is concealed be¬ 
hind a screen or elsewhere. 

The glass and plate are set 
in centre of table, and the re¬ 
mainder of the pack at its 
front. 

Presentation of Trick. —The performer picks up the pack 
and addresses the audience. Whilst speaking he carelessly 
shuffles the pack, in reality making the false shuffle described 
upon page 51, and not disturbing the order of the cards 
which are ready to be forced. “In this experiment I would 
like some ladies and gentlemen to assist me by selecting 
cards from the pack. Will you, madam? Thank you. And 
you—and you?” etc., till some six to ten cards are out, 
taking care that amongst them are at least the three “forced” 
ones which are presently to be made to rise from the glass. 
Proceed, “Now I would like you to hold up the cards chosen, 
so that everyone may know them; I will, with your permission, 
turn my back upon you for one moment, as I wish to be the 
only person in the room who does not see the chosen cards.” 
Turn round for an instant, and then saying, “Thank you, 
that will do. Please take down your cards,” return to the 
audience. If each has taken a forced card it simplifies 
matters, as the pack may now be handed round, each 
replacing his card and shuffling the pack before passing it 
on to the next, without the performer handling the cards at 
all until all are shuffled in. 

If, however, as often happens, several people refused the 
force, and made purposely independent choice, then the 



Fig. 2. 

Showing the arrangement of thread 
under pin in tablecloth. 




THE RISING CARD TRICK 


116 

performer must go round with the pack, handing it first to 
those who have the forced cards, emphasising the point by 
saying, “ Take the pack into your own hands, and place your 
card in and shuffle all together. I do not want to handle the 
cards at all” Then in taking those which are not known 
simply say, “ And yours, sir, will you kindly place yours in 
the pack ? ” holding the pack in halves, and making the pass 
to bring the card to the top, and get a sight of it in moving 
towards the next chooser. 

Return to the table and place the pack face upwards upon 
the arranged part of the pack which lies behind the hand¬ 
kerchief ; at the same time pick up the wand. Hold the 
wand to your eye as though it were a telescope, and looking 
in the direction of one of the choosers say, “ Will you please 
think of the card you chose whilst I look at you through 
this ? I call it my thinkophone. Why ? Because whenever 
I look at anyone through it I can tell all that they are 
thinking about. Shall I tell what you are thinking of? No, 
perhaps that would hardly be fair; but I can see the card 
you chose, it was (naming card), and yours was,” turning to 
and naming the next person’s card, “ and you, madam, chose 
a” (name again), when you come to the man who took the 
forced queen of hearts, “and yours was—but perhaps you 
would rather see your card. I do not mind, and it makes a 
little variation” Walk to table, pick up the tumbler with 
left hand, and the handkerchief with right, and lightly wipe 
the handkerchief round the tumbler, as though to remove a 
speck of dust that might be upon it, saying, “ I have here a 
small tumbler which is in no way prepared, and also a plate.” 
Pick up plate and replace it upon centre of the table. 
“ The plate I place upon the table, and upon the plate 
I stand this glass, and into the glass I place the pack.” Lift 
the pack into glass face towards audience. In doing so grasp 
the end where the thread is, and set this end uppermost in 
the glass, and also take care not to let the thread between 
the cards slip out of position, which can only happen through 
great carelessness. 

Say, “ I would like to call your attention to the fact that 


THE RISING CARD TRICK n7 

this glass stands quite isolated.” Raise the plate with glass 
upon it a few inches from the table surface, and replace it. 
Swing the wand round the sides of the glass, which can 
safely be done, as the slack of the thread allows it to fall 
straight down the outside of the glass to the table, and so 
it will not be caught by the wand, even if swung quite close 
to the tumbler all round. 

Tap the wand round the front of the table beneath its top, 
saying, “You see there is no connection either above or 
below—no strings, wires, or assistants concealed beneath the 
table.” 

The assistant now draws in the slack thread, taking great 
care not to more than make the line taut, else the rise of the 
card would be premature. 

Walking several paces from the table to one side and 
in front of it, say, “Now, sir, you have only to command 
your card to rise out of the glass, but without naming it. 
Kindly give the word of command.” The gentleman says 
“ Rise ! ” and you without turning towards the table say, with 
a very you-see-how-wonderful-I-am air, “ Your card, you 
notice, immediately obeys you. Isn’t it marvellous ? ” Pause 
an instant, and the audience will possibly show signs of 
tittering, for of course no card has risen. Look round to the 
table and affect great astonishment, then say, “ Perhaps, sir, 
you were not thinking only of your card ; try again, and 
without naming it order it to rise now.” He commands 
again ; still no card rises. 

Now affect considerable concern at the failure of the 
trick, saying, “I am so sorry, ladies and gentlemen, to have 
a failure, and so early in my trick. Will you forgive me? 
I feel so annoyed at this mistake.” Then turning suddenly, 
as though at an afterthought, to the gentleman whose card 
refused to rise, say, “ Perhaps, sir, you will tell me the name 
of your card?” He says, “The queen of hearts.” “Oh,” 
you exclaim, “ why that entirely accounts for it. One cannot 
expect a lady—how much less a queen—to be commanded 
in so peremptory a manner. One must address Her Majesty 
more in this wise.” 


118 THE RISING CARD TRICK 

Turn towards the table, and 
making a profound bow (Fig. 

3), say, “May it please Your 
Majesty Queen of Hearts to 
favour us with your presence. 

Queen of Hearts, please rise.” 

As you speak the assistant 
behind the scenes or screen 
pulls the thread until the card 
has risen right out of the top 
of the pack. Walk to the table, 
take the card with the tips of 
your fingers, and walk towards the chooser, saying, “You 
see Her Majesty is still looking a trifle cross” Turn to the 
person who took the seven of clubs and say, “ Kindly tell me 
the name of your card.” “ The seven of clubs.” “ Would you 
like it to rise quickly or slowly from the pack ? ” According 
to answer, the assistant pulls the string so as to make the 
card come up slowly or quickly, and it is removed. Then 
the name of the last card, the ace of diamonds, is asked for, 
and when it has been given, and duly made to rise and taken 
in the hand, say, “ What a curious thing that you should have 
chosen the ace of diamonds. It is the most wonderful in all 
the pack. Once it was chosen and jumped right out of the 
pack and flew down the room into somebody’s pocket. You 
don’t believe me, but it is true. Shall we try if it will do the 
same now? I will replace it in the pack.” Slip the card 
down into the pack in the glass in front of the prepared 
part. Walk away again and say, “Ace of Diamonds, a lady 
desires you to jump out of the pack.” The assistant pulls 
the string with a sharp jerk, and the ace flies several feet into 
the air. The performer quickly picks up the ace, throws it 
down to audience, and immediately takes pack from glass, 
allowing the end of the thread to slip out and fall, when it 
is drawn in by the assistant. If able to make the “spring” 
this should be done, to show that the same ordinary pack has 
been employed, or the pack may be handed for examination. 



THE “THURSTON” RISING CARDS 


119 


THE "THURSTON" RISING CARDS. 

(PHOTOGRAPHS OF FRANK KENNARD.) 

One of the latest novelties in conjuring, and one that has 
practically made the reputation of Howard Thurston, who 
first performed it, and whose name it bears. May be worked 
by either sex. 

It is rather a stage than a drawing-room trick, and the 
second method here described is the better. 

Time Occupied. —From five to ten minutes. 

Effect. —“ Five cards are selected haphazard from an 
ordinary pack. The five cards are then handed to an in¬ 
dependent member of the audience, with the request that 
he will replace them, and shuffle them into the pack 
thoroughly. The performer now returns to the stage and 
holds the pack in his left hand, with the faces of the cards 
towards the audience. He passes the right hand completely 
round the cards to prove that no threads are used. The 
hands and cards are now left in the position depicted in 
Fig. 2, about three feet apart. The performer next inquires 
the name of the first card selected, whereupon it immediately 
leaves the pack and soars as gracefully as a bird up to the 
right hand, where it is held between the fingers and thumb, 
the beauty of the experiment lying in the fact that the 
performer does not move a muscle during the rising of the 
card. The card is now placed on the front of the pack, 
and the second card called for, when it immediately ascends 
in the same manner as the first. This is repeated until the 
five chosen cards have made their appearance.” * 

* Howard Thurston’s description in his book, Howard 7'hurstoris Card 
Tricks , pp. 78, 79. 


i2o THE “THURSTON” RISING CARDS 


Requisites and Preparation. — FOR FIRST METHOD. —A 
small round brass box similar to an ordinary tape measure, 
the plate of the measure being taken by a black silken thread. 
To one side of the box is fastened a safety pin, with which 
to affix the apparatus to the performer’s clothing ; on the 
other side is a button which, when pressed, allows the thread 
to be drawn into the box by the internal spring. 


This apparatus is fixed 
by means of the safety 
pin on to the top of the 
left side of performer’s 
trousers, just beneath the 
edge of waistcoat, as shown 
in Fig. i. 

Fig. 1. 

Showing position to attach the apparatus. 

At the end of the thread is a little hollow button of wood, 
into and slightly overlapping the hollow of which is pressed 
some conjurer’s, wax. This pellet of wax is stuck on to the 
back of the top waistcoat button, and some two and a half 
feet of slack thread is pulled out of the apparatus and 
allowed to hang loose. 

FOR SECOND METHOD.— A black thread is stretched 
across, stage just above the height of the performer’s head, 
so as not to interfere with his movement in other tricks. 
In the wings at each side the thread passes over a pulley- 
wheel or through a round hook, and hangs about four feet 
down from this ; at each end of the thread are attached 
some dozen cards, to act as counterweights. They keep the 
thread across the stage taut, but allow of its being easily 
drawn down and attached to a card which, when released, is 
drawn up by their weight. 

Presentation of Trick. — FIRST METHOD. — Walking 
amongst the audience, the performer invites five persons 




I 2 I 


THE “THURSTON” RISING CARDS 

to select a card each. This having been done, he collects 
the five cards, remembering the order of the people from 
whom he takes them back, and in turning and walking 
towards another member of the audience he exchanges 
these by dropping them into his right hand profonde (care 
being taken not to disarrange their order), and taking five 
others hands them to the member of the audience together 
with the pack, and requests that they be shuffled into the 
pack. This done, he resumes the pack, and in walking 
back to the stage or table recovers the chosen five from the 
profonde and places them on top of the pack. 

On reaching his position and turning round to face the 
audience once more, the wax button is removed from the 
waistcoat button and pressed against the back of the 
top card on the pack. 

Attention is now called to the fact that the pack of cards 
is held in the left hand quite isolated, and the right hand 
is passed over and around the cards to show that no threads 
or wires are attached. 


As the right hand passes under¬ 
neath the cards it encounters the 
slack thread, which is allowed to 
pass between the first and second 
fingers, and is drawn up until the 
right hand reaches the position 
shown in Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2. 

The thread is now drawn taut 
from cards up through first 
and second fingers of right 
hand and back down to the 
apparatus, which is just be¬ 
hind the performer’s left 
elbow. 





122 THE “THURSTON” RISING CARDS 

Turning to the person whose card he took back last, the 
performer inquires, “What was the name of the card you 
chose?” “Two of spades” (or whatever it was), is the 
reply. “ Well, I will ask the two of spades to leave the pack 
and rise into my right hand.” 


Whilst speaking the left elbow 
is pressed against the button on 
the apparatus, which allows the 
spring to draw in the thread, and 
the card rises slowly to the right 
hand (Fig. 3). 



Fig. 3. 

The card rises slowly to right hand. 

The pressure on the button by the elbow is stopped, and 
the right now brings down the card and places it in front of 
the rest in the left hand. Detaching the waxed button, and 
affixing it once more at the back of the hindermost card, 
he turns towards the chooser of the card retaken before the 
last to inquire the name of the card selected. Meanwhile 
the right hand is passed once more round the cards and 
brought up again to the position of Fig. 2. Whilst this is 
done the button must be pressed by the left elbow to allow 
of the thread, which was drawn in at the rising of the 
previous card, to be drawn out again. The second card is 
commanded to leave the pack, and the operation repeated 
until all five have risen. 

I give this explanation because it is Mr. Thurston’s own 
published method, but would add that it is by no means 
an easy or sure plan ; at least this is my opinion, and that 
of all the best professional conjurers with whom I have 


THE “THURSTON” RISING CARDS 123 

discussed the trick. The thread must be very fine indeed 
to be invisible at the close quarters of a drawing-room 
audience, and the apparatus has a most annoying habit of 
failing to work at the critical moment. 

The trick is essentially suitable for a stage trick, and is 
then worked as follows :— 

SECOND METHOD FOR STAGE— The performer walks 
down amongst audience and forces five cards, and allows 
each chooser to shuffle his card back into the pack. In 
returning to the stage the five duplicate prepared cards are 
obtained from pocket, and placed on top of pack. As the per¬ 
former takes up his position for the card to rise, an assistant in 
each of the wings raises the counterweight of cards, allowing 
the thread across the stage to lower until the performer’s hand, 
in making passes over and round the cards, secures it and 
passes it into a clip at the back of the last card, or the 
performer may himself in making the passes with right hand 
draw down the thread without assistants in the wings. The 
right hand goes to position above the pack, the left mean¬ 
while holding the pack firmly. As the card is commanded 
to rise the hold of left hand at back of pack is slackened, 
and the counterweights draw up the card to the right hand. 

In placing the card in front of the pack in the left, the 
right hand detaches the thread from clip and places it into 
clip of next card at back, and so on until all have risen. 

When going down to force cards, if anyone chooses other 
than the card desired to be forced, hold out the pack divided 
in halves for it to be replaced, make the pass and tell the 
name of card as you go to force the next on someone 
else, with the remark, “ Isn’t it marvellous how I can read 
your thoughts ? ” or any other suitable exclamation. 

If the thread across stage is arranged at a height which 
just allows performer to walk beneath without his head 
touching, it will not be necessary for assistants to raise the 
counterweights as the performer, in passing his hand over 
the cards to show there are no wires or threads, draws down 
the thread himself. 


124 


THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 


THE FOUR ACE TRICK* 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

One of the very best of card tricks, requiring the ability to 
“ pass ” and “ palm ” neatly, and depending principally for 
its success upon the “ manner ” in which the assistant is 
“ handled.” Equally suitable for performance by gentleman 
or lady. The photographs are of Mr. Charles Bertram, and 
excellently show the gesture , which makes so much for the 
good effect of a trick. 

Time Occupied. —Ten to fifteen minutes. 

Effect. —Performer asks the assistance of a member of the 
audience. The four aces are taken out of the pack and 
placed upon the top. The assistant deals the four aces 
separately on to the table, and upon each ace deals three 
other cards. The assistant then chooses three of the heaps, 
which are thereupon placed into the pack, leaving one ace 
with the three indifferent cards on top of it upon the table. 
He places his hand firmly over these, whilst the performer, 
taking the pack in his hand, makes the little “ flip ” with the 
cards, and draws from beneath the assistant’s arm the three 
indifferent cards. The performer makes two more “ flips ” in 
rapid succession, and informs the assistant that he now has 
the four aces all beneath this hand. The assistant raises his 
hand, and to his astonishment there are the four aces, his 
wonder being further heightened on hearing that the three 
indifferent cards have passed into his pocket, into which he 
dives his hand and finds them there as stated. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A pack of cards—no pre¬ 
paration. 


THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 125 

Presentation of Trick. —Request a gentleman to come 
and assist you, and whilst receiving him upon your left 
pick up your pack and palm four cards. Place the pack 
upon the table, saying, “Will you please give me the four 
aces out of the pack, and satisfy yourself that it is an 
ordinary pack of playing cards, containing no more than 
four aces.” 



Being upon your 
left, he will most 
likely advance his 
right hand to take 
the pack (it makes 
no difference to you 
should he use his 
left), whereupon 
you arrest his arm 
with your left hand, 
and at the same 
time dive your right 
containing the four 
palmed cards into 
his inner or outer 
breast pocket, where 
you leave three of 
these cards, and 
draw out one (Fig. 1) 
and place it in the 
pack, remarking, 
“You really must 
not take any of my 
cards away like this 
without my asking you to do so. Now perhaps you will lay 
the four aces upon the table, and let me know whether there 
are any more aces in the pack.” The assistant will of course 
answer that there are no more than four aces, and as he lays 
these upon the table you take the rest of the cards and, 
placing them on the table, ask him now to place the four 
aces on the top of the pack. This done, you take up the 


Fig. 1. 

Performer arresting assistant’s hand and diving his 
into inner breast pocket with four palmed cards, 
leaving three behind and bringing out one. 




126 THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 

pack in the right hand, and secretly inserting the little finger 
of the left hand in the centre of the cards, swing the left 
hand up with the pack and make the “little flip,” thus 
raising a suspicion in his mind as to what you may have 
done. 

You mock-innocently ask, “Where are the four aces?” Your 
assistant will probably say, “At the bottom,” or, “ In the middle 
of the pack.” If so, show him that they are on the top. Should 
he say “ On the top,” make the pass, keeping the little finger 
on the aces, and show him that they are gone, remarking,“They 
went when you winked.” The little finger having been kept 
on the aces; you make the pass again, so bringing them to the 
top. Tap the pack with your wand, and tell him, “A touch of 
the wand immediately restores the aces.” Now make another 

and louder “ flip ” 
than before, and deal 
the four aces face 
downwards on the 
table, saying, in a 
confident yet sus¬ 
picious manner, 
“The four aces are 
there now, aren’t 
they?” He will pro¬ 
bably say “No; I 
do not think they 
are there,” in which 
case say, “ Ah ! I see 
you have been taught 
to be cautious,” and 
show that the aces 
are there, turning 
them up one by one 
upon the table. 
Palm off three cards 
(Fig. 2), and place 
the pack upon 
the table, asking your assistant to place the four aces 



Fig. 2. 

The three cards palmed, the assistant places the four 
aces on pack. 



THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 


I 27 



Fig. 3. 

Showing the four aces are on top (in reality, three palmed 
cards with one ace beneath are shown). 


on top. This 
done, take the 
pack with your 
right hand, plac¬ 
ing the three 
palmed cards on 
top. 

Count one, two, 
three, four cards, 
keeping the pack 
in position as 
though for deal¬ 
ing, and show 
them, of course 
only allowing the 
ace to be seen 
(Fig. 3), saying, 
“Yes, you have 
placed the aces 
fairly on the top 
of the pack this 
time.” Replace 
them, remarking, 
“As there seems 
handle the cards, 


- some doubt about the matter whenever I 
perhaps you will not mind doing this yourself.” Hand him 
the pack into his left hand, and tell him to deal the four aces 
in a row upon the table, face downwards. As he moves his 
right hand to the pack, you place your left hand gently and 
persuasively upon the arm just above the wrist (Fig. 4), and 
guide each card down to the table, saying, as you do so, 
“ One here, and one here, and one here, and the fourth 
here.” 

As the fourth card (which is an ace) is laid you quickly 
turn it up, giving the audience a sight of it, and say, “ Upon 
this ace place three cards.” He does so, you again guiding 
arm, as the three cards are the other three aces and must not 
be seen. As soon as the three aces are safely upon the fourth 


128 


THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 



ace you stop the guiding of the hand. 




And three upon the 
next ace,” you say, 
“ and three upon the 
next. You may take 
them from any part 
of the pack you 
choose” (as now it 
does not matter). 
“ And now three 
upon the last ace. 
You see I do not 
even touch the 
pack. Now will 
you please place 
the pack upon the 
table and tell the 
audience what you 
have done? You 
have placed one, 
two, three, four 
aces upon the table, 
and upon each ace 
you have placed 
three cards. Is 
that so?” He will 
of course answer 
“ Yes.” 

Hand him the wand and request him to touch two of the 
heaps (Fig. 5). If he touches heaps one and two (the 
numbering of heaps shown over Fig. 5 is in the order the 
cards were laid upon table), take them and place them into 
the pack. 


Fig. 4. 

Showing the left hand guiding assistant’s arm in deal¬ 
ing the aces on to table. A seemingly natural 
assistance, but most important, as it prevents him 
or the audience seeing underneath the cards. 





Assistant touching two heaps with the wand. 



Fig. 6. 


Produce the three cards from under the armpit. 




i 










130 


THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 


Should he, however, touch heap No. 4 and another, 
then you remove the two heaps which he did not touch 
and put them into the pack, saying, “You choose those, then 
I will take these,” so leaving No. 4 and another on the 
table. 

Ask the assistant to touch one more heap. If he touch 
No. 4, remove the other, saying, “Then I will take this.” If 
he touch the other, remove it all the same into pack, so that 
in any event No. 4 is left on the table. You pick up pack 
and say, “ Having had a perfectly free choice, you have 
now left me one ace and three small cards. Will you 
please place your hand firmly upon this remaining ace and 
the three indifferent cards? My trick is this:—I shall, 
against your will, make you raise your hand from the table, 
and in that instant I shall take from you the three indifferent 
cards and give you the three aces from the pack in their 
stead.” 

As you speak palm three cards, and running your 
hand up his arm produce the three cards from underneath 
his elbow. Place them on pack, saying, “ Here I have the 
three indifferent cards. Now to give you the three aces.” 
Take pack in left hand; run it down his arm, making 
the “ flip ” loudly as you do so, and say, “ That gives you 
the three aces.” Give a sharp upward movement with the 
pack, making “flip” again in direction of his pocket, where 
you first left the three cards at beginning of trick. Then 
place the pack all spread with one movement, face upwards, 
upon the table, exclaiming, “ And the three indifferent cards 
I pass into your pocket. Please see if you have the aces, 
and if so show them to the audience ” (Fig. 7). “ And now 

to conclude, will you please give me the three cards from 
your pocket? Perhaps they are in this one” (point with 
wand to a pocket where they are not. He feels for them and 
says “No”); “perhaps this pocket” (pointing to another 
where they are not. He looks again and says “No”); 
“perhaps here” (point to the pocket they are in, and he 
draws them out, causing a laugh) (Fig. 8). 



Fig. 7. 


Showing four aces from under his hand. 










i 3 2 


THE FOUR-ACE TRICK 



Fig. 9. 

“I would ask you one more favour—not to tel 
anyone how it is done.” 


“ Now, sir, I thank you very much for your assistance, and 
I would ask you one more favour—do not tell anyone how it 
is done.” 




CARDS FROM POCKET TO POCKET 133 


TO PASS SEVERAL CARDS FROM ONE 
PERSON'S POCKET TO THAT OF ANOTHER. 

MDLLE. PATRICE’S METHOD. 

One of the best of card tricks for either lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied. —Five to ten minutes. 

Effect. —Two gentlemen are asked to assist. One of them 
counts off thirty cards from the pack on to the table. The 
other gentleman verifies the counting to make sure that 
there are only thirty cards used. Each of the assistants is 
then asked to remove anything which may be in the 
inner breast pocket of his coat. The heap of thirty cards 
is cut at haphazard by one of the gentlemen into two 
heaps. Each assistant takes one heap into his breast 
pocket and buttons up his coat. The performer now 
mysteriously transfers any number of cards the audience 
desire from the pocket of the one assistant to that of the 
other without approaching either of them. The assistants 
remove the cards themselves from their pockets, and count 
them one by one upon the table, when the exact number 
decided upon are missing from the one man’s pocket and so 
many additional found in that of the other. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A pack of cards; no 
preparation. 

Presentation of Trick. —Having asked and secured any 
two gentlemen in the audience who may be interested in card 
tricks to assist you, on behalf of the audience, request them to 
stand one at each side of you. Hand the pack to the assistant 
on your left to shuffle, which done, you say, “ Now may I 
trouble you to count thirty cards from this pack, one by one, 
face downwards, upon the table.” As soon as he has done 
so, turn to the other, saying, “ Perhaps you would not mind 


i 3 4 CARDS FROM POCKET TO POCKET 

counting these over once again, in just the same way, one by 
one, on to the table, to make quite certain that no mistake 
has been made in the counting.” As he does so the per¬ 
former counts out loud, “ One, two, three,” up to thirty, as 
each card is laid upon the table. 

Pick up the thirty cards from the table, and square them 
up whilst asking the gentleman on your left “ if he has an 

inside breast pocket? if it 
is empty? If not, will he 
remove anything that is 
inside it for a few minutes ? 
Will he pull out the lining 
and satisfy the other mem¬ 
bers of the audience that 
it is really empty ? ” (Fig. I). 
The same questions are 
put to the second assist- 
Fig. 1 . ant. Whilst these queries 

“Have you an inside breast pocket?” are putj and the poc k e tS 

are being shown empty, the performer palms off five cards, 
and places the remaining twenty-five upon the table, picking 
up the wand in right hand, and so covering the cards palmed. 
The assistant on the left is now asked to cut the cards into 
two heaps, and then to choose which of the two he will have. 
Whichever heap he chooses, you request him “To pick it up, 
place it in his empty pocket, button up his coat, and place 
his hand firmly over his heart—you mean over the pocket 
with the cards, and so allow no one to get at the cards.” 

Ask the other assistant to count the cards in the remaining 
heap, which he does as before, one by one, on to the table, 
and we will say that there are twelve. The performer, look¬ 
ing to the audience, says, “ How many cards has this gentle¬ 
man?” (pointing to the assistant who has the other cards in 
his pocket). 



CARDS FROM POCKET TO POCKET 135 

Now, sir, twelve from thirty leaves—how many?” 

“ Eighteen ” the assistant 
answers. At the instant 
that you say, “Now, sir, 
twelve from thirty leaves 
how many?” (Fig. 2) you 
bring down the hand with 
the five palmed cards on to 
those on the table and 
square them up, and request 
assistant to place them in 
his pocket as the other 
gentleman has done, placing 
the hands over the pocket, 
adding, “ Be sure not to let anyone take anything from 
you.” 

Turn to audience and say, “ Now this gentleman on my 
left has eighteen cards, the gentleman on my right has 
twelve. I propose to take a few cards from the pocket 
of the gentleman upon my left and pass them, invisibly, 
into the pocket of the gentleman upon my right. Now the 
spirits work with three numbers—three, four, or five. How 
many cards shall I take from this gentleman ” (on left) “ and 
give to this gentleman” (on right), “three, four, or FIVE?” 
The emphasis is on the five, and in all probability several 
will say “ five,” in which event you say, “ Certainly, you wish 
me to take five cards from this gentleman’s pocket to this 
gentleman’s.” 

Should some say three, some four, and some five, you 
ignore those who said three and four, and, turning in the 
direction where the “ five ” was asked for, proceed as 
above. 

If three be most distinctly called for you may say, 
“ Certainly, you wish me to take three for you; with 
pleasure.” Turn to someone else* and say, “ And how many 
would you like?” Probably they will say “two.” In that 
case say, “Certainly; three for you, sir, and two for you, 



Fig. 2. 

Twelve from thirty leaves—how many?” 
(adding the five palmed cards). 


136 CARDS FROM POCKET TO POCKET 



Fig. 3. 

Drawing line with wand from the pocket 
of one to that of the other assistant. 



Fig. 4. 

“This is the first card." 



Fig. 5. 


Pretending to throw the card into pocket 
of second assistant. 


madam. Now I proceed 
to draw a line from this 
gentleman on my left to 
the gentleman on my right, 
which is called the invisible 
line of influence.” Whilst 
speaking, with your wand 
draw an imaginary line 
from the one gentle¬ 
man’s pocket to the other 
(Fig. 3). “You see the 
line, sir,” addressing either 
of the assistants. He will 
probably say, “Yes,” and 
you reply, chaffingly, “Yes, 
I thought you would see 
the invisible line! When 
you are with a conjurer 
you should be very careful 
how you admit or deny 
anything. In fact, I want 
you to be very careful, on 
behalf of the rest of the 
audience, or I shall deceive 
you in a moment. Now, 
sir, here is the first card” 
(Fig. 4). Make a preten¬ 
ded grab in the air near 
the pocket of gentleman 
on left as though you 
caught a card, and do as 
though throwing it into 
the pocket of the other 
(Fig. 5). “ The second on 

the tip of my wand, and 
so into your pocket,” pass¬ 
ing whilst speaking the 
tip of wand from one to 





CARDS FROM POCKET TO POCKET 137 

the others pocket. “Now the third.” Again grab near the 
pocket of left assistant, and pretend to throw the card down 
to the audience, and with right hand, point down after it as 
though following its flight with the wand and your eye, and 
saying, “ There it goes, look ! right down into that corner. 
No! it has flown up again, and almost hit the ceiling. Ah, 
here it comes along the edge of the wall. There it is, right 
into your pocket, sir. You have now three more cards. You 
feel your pocket a little heavier now, do you not ? Yes. I 
thought so. Now for the fourth. One, two, three, go!” 
(Make a quick movement across in front of you.) u Now you 
have four more cards. The fifth you will not see pass; they 
go so quickly. This one with my wand again.” Touch 
pocket on left and pass wand across to pocket on right, 
saying, “Yes, there it is at the tip of the wand. Yes, it’s a 

court card. How can I tell? 
Why, it is a little heavier 
than the others. Now, sir” 
(turning to left assistant), 
“ & You)have now only thir¬ 
teen cards, and the gentle¬ 
man on my right has seven¬ 
teen. You notice my hands 
never for an instant touch 
the cards in this experi¬ 
ment ” (Fig. 6). “ Now, 

sir ” (to left assistant), 
“take out the cards your¬ 
self, and show your pocket perfectly empty, and count 
them as before, one by one, upon the table, that everyone 
may see. You had eighteen cards; you now have thirteen.” 
As he throws them down you count with him, and when 
you come to thirteen add, “You see you have lost five 
cards, so you, sir” (turning to the other), “must have the five 
extra. Will you, please, take out your cards and count them.” 
He counts “ One, two, three,” up to twelve, when you join 
in counting with him, “thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, 
seventeen.” 



Fig. 6. 

“ You notice my hands never for an instant 
touch the cards in this experiment.” 







SLEIGHTS USED IN 
CONJURING WITH COINS 







TO PALM A COIN 


141 


TO PALM A COIN. 

To be able to palm a coin neatly is a necessary accom¬ 
plishment of every conjurer, and it is by no means difficult. 
The ordinary palm here described will serve for most 
purposes. 


Presentation. —The coin is 
held between first finger and 
thumb of either hand, for a 
good conjurer must be ambi¬ 
dextrous, and exhibited as in 
Fig. 1. 


The second and third fingers 
are brought up behind the centre 
of coin whilst simultaneously the 
first finger is withdrawn. This 
leaves the coin held for an in¬ 
stant between second and third 
fingers and thumb (Fig. 2). 


The thumb is now removed, 
and the second and third fingers 
press the coin into the palm of 
the hand in such a position 
that a slight inward movement 
of the muscles of fleshy part 
of the ball of the thumb grips 
the coin against the opposite 
side of the palm, beneath the 
little finger, as in Fig. 3. 



Fig. 3. 





142 


TO PALM A COIN 


The fingers are opened again leaving the coin so gripped, 
whilst the back of the hand may be freely shown with 
fingers apart and the hand moved about and used naturally, 
the coin remaining in the palm. The whole of this will be 
found with practice to become one movement, which the hand 
will make almost unconsciously whenever anything is to be 
palmed. 

To palm balls—billiard balls, eggs, etc., exactly the same 
movement is followed. 

To cover the action a movement is usually made of the 
hand and arm at the instant of palming a coin. The per¬ 
former may say, “ Will you kindly catch this coin ? ” moving 
the hand and arm as though throwing the coin to the person 
addressed, which entirely hides the movement of the fingers 
in palming the coin. In the “aerial mint” or “coins into 
the hat ” each time a coin is caught it is apparently thrown 
into the hat or the air; this covers the act of palming it 
ready to be reproduced, and creates the impression that 
another coin has been caught in the air. Once the power 
to palm is acquired, the performer must accustom himself 
to handle objects freely with the fingers of the hand in 
which an object is palmed without any fear of the grip upon 
it being released, so that it falls from the palm. A couple 
of the best exercises to practise with a view to adept palm¬ 
ing are— 

(1) To palm a coin and pick up a glass from a table and 
replace it with the tips of the fingers and thumb grasping 
the rim of the glass as in Fig. 4 (page 175). 

(2) To palm a coin and place the whole of all the fingers 
and thumb flat upon a table whilst the palm of hand holding 
the coin and forearm are held quite perpendicular. 

When these two exercises can be regularly and securely 
performed with one coin, palm two, one on top of the other, 
and so on until the exercises can be done with quite a 
number of coins securely palmed, or a watch, egg, or billiard 
ball held with equal facility. 


THE PASS WITH A COIN 


1 43 


THE PASS WITH A COIN* 

The ordinary pass with a coin is the act of palming the 
coin whilst pretending to place it from one hand into the 
other. In most descriptions of coin tricks one simply says, 
“ Palm the coin,” leaving the phrase “ Making the pass ” to 
apply only to card tricks. 

Presentation. —The coin is held as in Fig. i of “the palm,” 
p. 141, and as the right hand is brought towards the left (or 
vice versa , which should be learnt till equal facility be 
acquired), the left hand is held open, and then closed, as 
though grasping the coin the instant that the fingers of right 
hand reach its palm. In the meantime the right hand palms 
the coin and hangs down, or is held open, the left remaining 
closed as though containing the coin. 


i 4 4 THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 


THE BACK AND FRONT PALM. 

T. NELSON DOWNS’ CONTINUOUS METHOD. 


A difficult sleight, yet one which the modern conjurer 
cannot afford to miss acquiring if he would be thoroughly 
up to date. The description here given is that of T. Nelson 
Downs, the most prominent present-day coin conjurer. His 
method is somewhat more elaborate than will be necessary in 
practice. If the movements from Figs, i to 5 be accomplished 
neatly, the remainder may be left for those who wish to be 
exceptionally clever in coin manipulation. 

Effect. —A coin is shown in the hand and apparently thrown 
into space. The hand being shown back and front to the 
audience makes it plain that the coin is not concealed either 
in palm or at back. The palm and back of hand may be 
alternately shown as often as is desired and the coin re¬ 
covered any where at the option of the performer. 

Requisite.— A coin. 

Presentation of Trick. —Mr. Downs says: Commence the 
trick by placing the coin on the front of the hand, gripping it 
between the tips of the first and fourth fingers (Fig. 1). Next 



Fig. 1. 

The coin gripped between first and fourth fingers. 








THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 145 


draw down the two middle fingers until the points rest behind 
the coin at its lower end. If you now exert with these fingers 
a slight pressure on the lower part of the coin, it revolves be¬ 
tween the first and fourth fingers (Fig. 2), and as you carefully 



Fig. 2. 

Middle fingers drawn down ready to revolve the coin. 


extend the two middle fingers, these stretch out in front of the 
coin (Fig. 3), which is now held in the same position as at 



Fig. 3. 

The coin at the back of hand, exposed view. 

K 










146 the rack and front palm 

first, except that it is at the back of the hand, and is quite 
invisible from the front, so that it seems to have vanished. 
To cover this movement, which should be executed with 
lightning rapidity, the performer makes a short movement 
with the hand as if about to throw the coin away. To make 
the coin reappear, these movements are simply reversed. 

This novel movement should be perfected with both hands. 
After considerable practice this can be accomplished with 
more than one coin. Fig. 4 shows Mr. Downs back palming 



Fig. 4. 

Mr. Downs back palming six half-dollars. 


six coins. One will be found enough for all practical pur¬ 
poses, and few people would give the practice needed for 
back palming several at once in this method. 

When the coin has been reversed to the back of the hand, 
as in Fig. 3, the little finger moves away, and it is left 
gripped between the first and second fingefS. The coin in 
this (Fig. 5) and subsequent photos is shown, but of course 
in practice would be further to the back, and not showing 
between the fingers. The third and fourth fingers are now 
spread wide apart (Fig. 5) to show there is nothing between 
them. The third finger moves up at the back of the hand 
behind the coin, which it pulls between it and second finger, 









THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 147 



Fig. 5. 

Coin left gripped between first and second_fingers. 



Fig. 6. 


Coin gripped between second and third fingers, and back of hand shown. 

where it remains gripped, as in Fig. 6, enabling the performer 
to show the back of the hand, and that there is nothing 
between first and second or third and fourth fingers. 

Now the thumb pushes the coin through from the front of 
the hand to the back, still gripped between second and third 














148 THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 

fingers, enabling front of hand to be shown, with the first 
and fourth fingers extended (Fig. 7). The little finger next 



Fig. 7. 

First and fourth fingers extended. 


comes up behind the hand, and grips the coin in exactly the 
same way as the third finger did, enabling the first, second, 
and third fingers to be shown empty (Fig. 8). 



Fig. 8. 

First and second fingers extended. 












THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 149 

The second finger now grasps the coin from the back, so 
that it is held as before, in Fig. 6, between two middle 
fingers, again allowing performer to show there is nothing 
between first and second or third and fourth fingers. The 
coin is then picked up with the first finger, and gripped 
between that and the second finger, as already seen in 
Fig- 5- 

Next the fingers are bent round towards the palm, and 
with the assistance of the second and third fingers the coin 
is transferred to the palm of the hand (Fig. 9), thereby 



Fig. 9. 

Coin in palm. 


allowing the performer to show the back ot the hand with 
the fingers and thumb extended (Fig. 10). 

It is now picked up with the two middle fingers, and 
replaced between first and second, exactly the reverse of the 
previous move, enabling the front of the hand to be shown. 

By next moving the third finger up behind it, the coin can 
be placed at the back of thumb (Fig. 11), where it lies 
gripped in the fleshy part, so that the performer can now 
show front of hand empty, with fingers extended. Then 
hand is closed, and the coin allowed to drop in ; then it is 
opened, &nd the coin produced. 







i5o THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 



Fig. 11. 

Coin at back of thumb. 


T. Nelson Downs uses all of the above passes in his 
entertainment, and, of course, to work the Back and Front 
Palm perfectly considerable practice is necessary. To 
produce many brilliant effects it is only essential that the 







THE BACK AND FRONT PALM 151 

performer should be familiar with one or two of the moves, 
but anyone who desires to become quite a first-class mani¬ 
pulator should practise, practise, and keep on practising, 
until all the above sleights become second nature to him, 
and he can then defy even expert conjurers to tell where the 
coin is at any moment. 

Special coins for back palming may be obtained. These 
have fine wire forks at two opposite edges of the coin. The 
forks fit round the first and little fingers whilst the coin 
revolves between them. Such a coin is only useful for plain 
back and front palming, and must be exchanged for an un¬ 
prepared coin before proceeding from the palming to any 
trick. Very little skill is required to show the back and 
front palm with one of these. 


152 


THE FRENCH DROP 


THE FRENCH DROP, OR TOURNIQUET, 

This is a very useful and simple sleight. A coin is taken 
and apparently placed from the left hand into the right, 
whilst in reality it remains in the left. 

Presentation. —The coin is 
held between first and second 
fingers and thumb of the left 
hand. 

The hand is moved up as 
though to place coin into the 
right hand, which proceeds to 
take it as in Fig. i. 

Now, as the right hand fingers 
are closed as though grasping 
the coin, it is allowed to fall 
down past the side of the thumb 
of right hand into the palm of 
the left (Fig. 2). 

The right hand is quite closed 
and moved away, as though 
having taken the coin. 

In moving away the closed 
right hand it should be turned 
over so that the closed fingers are uppermost. 

This will with practice be found one of the easiest and 
least detectable of sleights. 

The same method is used with balls, and any small objects 
which are to appear to be in the right hand, when in reality 
they are retained in the left. 

The actual position of the hands to audience, when the 
right hand appears to take the coin or other object, should be 
with the backs of the fingers of left hand towards them, while 
the right hand seems to take the coin from a sideways position. 



Fig. 2. 






TO CHANGE A COIN 


i53 


TO CHANGE A COIN* 

H. DE MANCHE’S METHOD. 

This change, a novelty of H. de Manche’s invention, is 
an improvement upon any other method, for only one hand 
is required. It is absolutely impossible for one coin to clink 
against the other. The hand can be shown palm outwards, 
as in Figs. 1 and 5, and the sleight, made with a quite 
natural movement, produces a perfect illusion. This change 
can be used whenever a substituted coin is required in a 
trick, and it may be shown as prelude to, or in the course 
of, almost any trick with coins. Suitable for either sex. 

Time Occupied. —One minute. 

Effect. —A copper coin (say a penny) is shown to the 
audience, and held in their sight between first finger and 
thumb. The hand makes a slight upward movement, where¬ 
upon the copper vanishes, and in its place is seen a silver 
coin, say a half-crown or half-dollar. 

When used to substitute a coin for a borrowed one in the 
course of any trick there is no effect so far as the spectators 
are concerned, as only the performer is aware of a change 
having been effected. 

Requisites. — A copper coin, say a penny; and a silver 
one, say a half-crown. 

Presentation of Trick. —The penny is held between the tip 
of first finger and thumb (Fig. 1) ; the half-crown is concealed 
in the bend of second and third fingers. The performer may 
borrow the penny. If he uses his own he should take care 
to let one or two people handle it, to show that it is not a 
trick coin. 


154 


TO CHANGE A COIN 


This done the hand is held 
as in Fig. I, allowing the 
audience to see right into 
the palm of it to show 
that it is actually empty. 
Attention should not be 
called to this beyond the 
statement, “This is really an 
ordinary penny, which I shall 
change in your full view 
into a coin of quite another 
value.” This said, the hand is given a slight upward or side¬ 
ways movement, during which the change is made as follows : 



Fig. 1. 



With the thumb press the 
penny on to the second 
finger, at the same moment 
withdraw the first finger to 
the edge of the coin (Fig. 2). 


Fig. 2. 



^ow the first finger slides 
the penny to the root of the 
thumb, where it is gripped 
between this and first pha- 
lange (Fig. 3). 


Fig. 3. 




TO CHANGE A COIN 


J 55 


Next slightly extend the 
second and third fingers, 
thereby releasing their grip 
upon the half-crown; at the 
same moment lower the 
thumb until its tip rests upon 
the half-crown (Fig. 4). 

Fig. 4. 

Then,* the point of the 
thumb presses the half-crown 
to the tip of the first finger 
and holds it there. The act 
of doing this causes the 
penny to be released, where¬ 
upon it turns over on to its 
edge and slides into the 
place, between the bend of 
the second and third fingers, 
just vacated by the half- 
crown (Fig. 5). 

The change is now complete, and the half-crown is ex¬ 
hibited in place of the penny. This should be shown to the 
audience actually as in Fig. 5, for this allows them once more 
to see the empty palm. 

These movements, if practised, will be found to dovetail into 
one instantaneous motion. It should be practised before a 
mirror to make sure of success. 

The photographs give an inside view of the sleight. The 
audience only see the back of the fingers and hand when the 
change is made, and the hand in motion at the instant of sub¬ 
stitution. Coins of any size can be used with equal facility. 










SOME TRICKS WITH COINS 




TO EXTRACT A MARKED COIN 159 


TO EXTRACT A MARKED COIN FROM A 
HANDKERCHIEF. 


FRANK KENNARD’S METHOD. 


A neat sleight, which may be shown alone or, better still, 
introduced in the course of some more important coin trick. 
Suitable for gentleman or lady. 

Time Occupied. —A couple of minutes. 

Effect. —A marked coin is folded into a handkerchief, 
and held by a member of the company. The performer 
mysteriously regains possession of it without unfolding the 
handkerchief. 

Requisites. —A borrowed florin or half-crown ; a hand¬ 
kerchief. 

Presentation of Trick. —The coin is borrowed, and marked 
by the lender with a penknife. 


The performer holds it 
the first finger and thumb c 
hand, and boldly throws t] 
kerchief over it (Fig. i). 



Fig. 1. 



i6o TO EXTRACT A MARKED COIN 


Whilst still holding it with the 
left hand, the first and second 
fingers of right hand, which is held 
palm upwards, grasp the coin 
through the handkerchief, and the 
right hand is turned towards the 
body (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 


Now say, “You can see the coin 
through the handkerchief.” At the 
same time release the coin from the 
left hand, and grip it again through 
the double thickness of the hand¬ 
kerchief, but by its other edge, after 
the turn (Fig. 3), adding, “ I will 
show you once more that the coin 
is really still here.” 



Fig. 3. 



TO EXTRACT A MARKED COIN 16 


Lift the edge of handkerchief with 
right hand and exhibit the coin 

(Fig. 4), 



Fig. 4. 


then drop the handkerchief again 
w r ith a shake (Fig. 5). This little 
manoeuvre has had the effect of 
getting the coin outside the hand¬ 
kerchief, but concealed by the folds. 



Fig. 5. 


L 





162 to extract a marked coin 


Next give the coin and 
handkerchief a twist, and 
allow the coin to drop, for 
it will remain in the fold 
without falling (Fig. 6). 



Fig. 6. 

The gentleman who lent the coin may now be asked to hold 
it. Place the handkerchief in his hand, so that his first finger 
and thumb grip it about three inches above the coin, and 
show that your own hands are empty without specially calling 
attention to them. Finally grip the coin, as in Fig. 7, with 
first finger and thumb and extract it, as though it were being 
pulled right through the material (Fig. ya). Of course the 



Fig. 7a. 

Back view of Fig. 7, showing 
coin slipping out. 



Fig. 7. 

Assistant holding handkerchief; 
performer taking coin with 
thumb and finger. 


handkerchief may be displayed to show that no hole has been 
made in it. 





THE CAP AND PENCE 163 


THE CAP AND PENCE. 

L. GRAHAM LEWIS’S METHOD. 

A good little after-dinner trick. In the usual method a 
metal cap is used to cover the pence. As there is always 
suspicion and a certain old-fashioned air attaching to all 
metal covers, L. Graham Lewis’s plan of making a cap 
improvised from paper before the audience is a decided 
improvement. 

Time Occupied. —About four minutes. 

Effect. —The performer borrows five pennies from amongst 
the spectators. He then makes a little tube by rolling up a 
piece of note-paper, and blocks one end by squeezing the 
paper together. Next a small die is placed upon the table, 
and over it the cap of paper. The conjurer proceeds to pick 
up the pennies, and mysteriously passes each separately 
through the paper cap, which is lifted up, showing the five 
pence beneath in place of the die. The cap is replaced over 
the pence, and the conjurer with a sharp rap of his hand 
below the table surface secures the five pence once more, and 
the paper cap upon being lifted discloses the die in its 
original position. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A small piece of note- 
paper, an elastic band, a die, and five pennies fastened 
together by means of a couple of metal pins driven through 
them near to their edges. The centres of four of the pennies 
are drilled away to within about the eighth of an inch from 
their edges, so that the top penny is intact, and the outer 
edges of those beneath are also intact. Thus when placed 
on the table they appear to be a heap of five pennies. 

If a “cap and pence” trick be ordered at a conjuring 
apparatus dealer’s, a prepared heap of pennies is supplied, 


THE CAP AND PENCE 


164 

and a metal cap. The latter can be dispensed with, as only 
the prepared coppers are required in Graham Lewis’s method 
here described, but it is cheaper to buy the whole trick, than 
to have this set of five pennies specially made. 

The piece of note-paper should be rolled previous to the 
performance round the five prepared coppers, and a little 
mark made with pencil to show how far it must go in order 
to make a tube which will just fit easily—neither too loosely 
nor too tightly over the coins. The five fixed coins must be 
placed in any pocket convenient for the performer’s right 
hand to secure them unseen when needed at the commence¬ 
ment of trick. 

Presentation of Trick.— The performer borrows five 
pennies from members of the audience, and places them 
upon his table, and beside them sets the die. He next 
displays the little piece of paper, and rolls it into a tube, 
placing the elastic band round it, taking care to roll it exactly 
to the mark previously prepared, that it may just fit over the 
coins. He then squeezes up the end of the paper tube, so as 
to close it at one end, and walking down to the audience 
shows it to one or two, saying, “It is quite empty, and merely 
a little white paper tube without guile of any sort.” 


Whilst returning to the table he 
secures unseen the prepared coins, 
which are held concealed between 
the first and third phalanges of the 
second and third fingers of right 
hand (Fig.T), 



Fig. 1. 


THE CAP AND PENCE 


165 


and are slipped into the 
tube as in Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2. 


The performer then remarks, “ I 
will now place my little paper cap 
over the die,” and does so. Fig. 3, 
a back view, shows position of the 
prepared coins inside the tube as 
it is being set over the die. 



Fig. 3. 


One of the pennies is now 
picked up by right hand, and per¬ 
former pretends to place it into 
left hand, actually palming it in 
the right, which drops to position 
shown in Fig. 4, whilst the left is 
held over the paper cover and 
the fingers slowly opened whilst 
saying, “ I will now proceed to 
pass this penny to join the die 
beneath this paper cap. 



Fig. 4. 


THE CAP AND PENCE 


166 


This operation is repeated until 
all the five pennies are palmed in 
right hand, as in Fig. 5 (a back 
view). Great care must be taken 
in palming the coins not to allow 
any clink to be heard as each new 
coin is pressed above the others in 
the palm. 



Fig. 5. 


The right hand now lightly 
raises the paper cap, and the 
audience see the heap of five 
pennies in place of the die, just as 
declared by the magician (Fig. 6). 
He replaces the cap over the 
pennies and proceeds, 



Fig. 6. 

“Now if I desire to recover the five coins from beneath 
the cap, all I have to do is simply to command them 
to pass through the top of the table.” 




THE CAP AND PENCE 


167 


So saying the performer knocks 
his right hand sharply beneath the 
surface of the table, allowing the 
palmed coins to clink as loudly as 
possible, and bringing his hand 
instantly up, throws the five 
pennies carelessly upon the table, 
and immediately raises the cap, 
holding it near the bottom, and 
pinching it sufficiently to bring up 
inside it the prepared coins, thus 
revealing the die once more. 



Fig. 7. 


The paper cap he also jerks carelessly forward to anyone 
in the audience, or upon the table. In doing so the weight 
of the prepared coins makes them fall once more into the 
fingers of his right hand, whence they are dropped into the 
profonde , as the performer turns to pick up something else 
for use in the next experiment. 




168 A COIN WRAPPED IN PAPER 


A COIN WRAPPED IN PAPER DISAPPEARS* 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHARLES BERTRAM. 


A good after-dinner or drawing-room trick. Suitable for 
lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied. —A couple of minutes. 

Effect. —A coin is placed in a piece of newspaper and 
folded in at all sides; the performer immediately tears up 
the paper, the coin has vanished, and reappears at any spot 
he desires. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A piece of newspaper about 
4 in. x 6 in. A coin—half-crown or penny is best. A crease 
may be made across the paper, so that when folded at this, 
one side of the paper is about an inch shorter than the other. 


Presentation of Trick.— 

The performer takes the coin 
(Fig. i) in the right hand, 
and places it fairly into the 
crease between the two sides 
of the paper, 


which is held bent in halves 
to receive it by the left 
hand (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 



A COIN WRAPPED IN PAPER 169 


The left thumb and 
fingers close the sides of 
the paper together upon 
the coin, as in Fig. 3, the 
shorter half of the paper 
being towards performer. 


Fig. 3. 




Fig. 4. 




Fig. 5. 


This brings the hands 
holding the packet one at 
each side (Fig. 5) so that 
the two first fingers can 
easily and naturally bend 
over the top of the packet, 
as in Fig. 6. This apparently 
closes the coin in absolutely. 

In reality, as the back half 
of the paper when the first 
fold was made did not quite 
reach up to the top of the 
front half—this piece which 
is now folded over is the 
top of the front side, and 
not of both, as it appears to 
be, and the packet which seems so fairly made is really 
open all along the top. 


Fig. 6. 







1 7 o A COIN WRAPPED IN PAPER 

The performer now takes 
the packet in the right hand 
and taps it against a table 
or chair-back to show that 
the coin is really there. 

The left hand takes the 
packet from the right, the 
right hand being held quite 
still. The left hand grasps 
the bottom edge of packet, 
so turning it upside down 

( Fi g- 7 \ Fig. 7. 



This allows the coin to 
slide out into the right 
hand, as shown in Fig. 8, 
which is a back view of 

Fig- 7- 



Fig. 8. 

Back view of Fig. 7. 


The packet is held in left 
hand at shoulder-height, the 
performer looking mysteriously 
at it for an instant, and then is 
torn slowly into halves (Fig. 9) 



Fig. 9. 


A COIN WRAPPED IN PAPER 171 


and re-torn till quite in tiny 
pieces (Fig. 10), which are 
carelessly flung into the air. 
Fig. 10 has the hands turned 
upwards to show the reader 
the position of the coin in 
the right hand during the 
tearing up. 



Fig. 10. 

Exposed position of hands showing coin 
held between second and third joints of 
fingers. 


The coin may either be simply got rid of at the conjurer’s 
convenience, or may be produced from a gentleman’s pocket, 
or from any piece of apparatus desired. 



72 TO PASS COINS INTO A GLASS 


TO PASS TEN COINS HELD IN LEFT HAND 
INTO A GLASS HELD IN RIGHT 
HAND AT ARM'S LENGTH. 

T. NELSON DOWNS’ METHOD WORKED BY MEANS OF 
HIS “CLICK” PASS. 

This trick is taken, by permission, from Modern Coin Manipulation , T. 
Nelson Downs. I have, however, altered the description in some places to 
make it somewhat simpler for an amateur to understand. 


An excellent trick for either lady or gentleman to perform, 
though I would recommend the amateur to work with five 
coins only until very proficient in coin manipulation. I give 
the explanation of trick with ten, as that is Nelson Downs’ 
suggested number. 

Time Occupied. —About five minutes, including borrow¬ 
ing the coins. 

Effect. —Ten coins are borrowed and placed unmistakably 
in the left hand. All are satisfied that the coins are really in 
the left hand, for they are heard to fall therein. The right 
hand now picks up an ordinary empty glass tumbler, and the 
hands are held wide apart. The coins are commanded to 
pass, one at a time, from the closed left hand into the glass 
held in the right. The beauty of the experiment is that each 
coin is distinctly seen and heard to fall into the tumbler. 
As soon as eight coins have passed, the performer pretends 
to hear someone say that there are no coins in the left hand. 
He immediately opens the left hand, and shows the two 
remaining coins. The hand is closed, and the two that are 
left pass singly into the glass held in the right in the same 
manner as their predecessors. 

Requisites and Preparation.— An ordinary glass tumbler, 
ten coins (from audience for preference, but this is not abso- 


TO PASS COINS INTO A GLASS 


i73 

lutely essential), and two dummy coins pivoted together 
to admit of their being spread to look like two separate 
coins. These dummy coins are placed in any pocket easily 
accessible to the left hand. 

Presentation of Trick. —The performer states that he 
desires to borrow ten coins—two-shilling pieces, half-dollars, 
or rupees, according to the realm in which he may be per¬ 
forming. This done, on returning to his table he secures the 
dummy coins from pocket and reverse palms them (page 144), 
which he is able to do, as they are pivoted so as to form one 
coin. The audience now see ten coins in right hand and the 
left hand empty. In bringing the left hand towards the right 
to place the coins as in Fig. 1 the dummy coins are brought 



Fig. 1. 

Position of coins in right hand. 


to front of hand, and palmed by the method described on 
page 141. 

The ten coins being placed in the right hand (Fig. 1), 
the hand is then quickly turned over, the coins being 
apparently transferred to the left hand (which is held as in 
Fig. 2), but in reality the third and fourth fingers of the right 
hand arrest their fall (Fig. 2), thereby creating a sound or 








174 TO PASS COINS INTO A GLASS 




Fig. 2. 


“click” as if the coins had fallen into left hand, and press 

them into the palm of 
the right hand. 

This will not be very 
easy at first for the 
amateur, but once ac¬ 
quired by practice it will 
be seen what a perfect 
deception it produces. 

Now the left hand, 
closed, as though con¬ 
taining the coins, is held 
at arm’s length, and the 
right hand, with the 
palmed coins, picks up 
the tumbler, as in Fig. 3. 

By slightly relaxing 
the muscles of the palm 
of the right hand, the 
coins are released, one 
at a time, and fall into 
the glass (Fig. 4). A 


Fig. 3. 













TO PASS COINS INTO A GLASS 175 

considerable amount of practice and delicacy of manipulation 
is essential to ensure the coins dropping singly. 

W hen eight (or thre£, if five coins only are being used) 
have passed into the tumbler, turn towards some particular 
part of the audience, 
and, pretending to over¬ 
hear a remark, say, “ I 
can hear what you say, 
madam. No coins at 
all in the left hand. I 
assure you, you are mis¬ 
taken. I pass each coin 
separately, just as you 
see them go. You still 
don’t believe me. Well, 
madam, I had better 
prove it to you. We 
had ten coins in all, 
eight have passed into 
the tumbler ; that should 
leave two in my left 
hand.” At the words 
“two in my left hand,” 
slowly open the left 
hand, and press out the 
pivoted coin, so as to 
show two, adding, “You see, madam, I was not deceiving 
you—at least not in the way you thought.” 

Allow the last two coins to fall into the glass, and open 
the left hand as the last falls, back palming the dummy coins 
in so doing. 

The glass with the ten coins in is placed upon the table, 
and the dummy coin disposed of as may best suit the per¬ 
former’s convenience, either pocketed, or dropped into the 
servante at back of table. 



Fig. 4. 








THE AERIAL MINT 


176 


THE AERIAL MINT* 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

Illustrations by permission from Modern Coin Manipulation. 

A trick known under many titles—“ Aerial Treasury,” 
“Coins into the Hat,” “Miser’s Dream,” etc. Suitable for 
lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied.— Seven to ten minutes. 

Effect. —The performer borrows a silk hat from a member 
of the audience, and holding it in his left hand proceeds to 
catch coins from the air with his right hand, which is 
repeatedly shown empty, back and front, tossing them into 
the hat. Coins are gathered from people’s coats, ladies’ hats, 
handkerchiefs, or anywhere. 

Requisites and Preparation.— As many coins (two- 
shilling pieces or half-crowns, or silvered pennies are the 
best) as it is desired to produce. From twenty to forty is 
the usual number. About twenty are tied into a pile with a 
fine thread, and concealed in the left pochette. The remainder 
are tied into one or two more piles in the same way, and 
placed in various pockets, according to performer’s fancy. 


THE AERIAL MINT 


177 


Presentation of Trick. —The performer borrows a hat 
from one of the audience. Taking the hat with the right 



hand, the left is brought 
to the left pochette, and 
the pile of coins secured. 

The hat is transferred 
from right : to left hand, 
which at that moment 
presses the coins under¬ 
neath the brim (Fig. 1), 
and it is set crown 
downwards upon the 
table, on the side where 
the coins are to the 
back. 

Considerable practice 
is necessary to slip the 
coins readily, so that 
they are held by the 
brim of any hat. Some 
hat brims are so straight 
that they will not hold 
the coins. As the per¬ 
former takes a hat he 
must instantly judge this point, and if it is not safe, instead 
of putting them under brim, he presses them just inside hat 
with the fingers of left hand, and holds them there, pro¬ 
ceeding with the trick without setting the hat down (Fig. 2). 



U 




1 7 


THE AERIAL MINT 


In the case where the coins are placed under the brim and 
the hat is set on table, the performer proceeds to address the 
lender: “ May I be 
permitted to use your 
hat for a few moments 
as a money-box ? ” The 
left hand, which is held 
so that the audience see 
that it is quite empty, 
comes to the hat, and 
in picking it up the 
coins are brought from 
brim to inside of hat, 
as in Fig. 2. By 
slightly squeezing the 
coins the thread breaks, 
and they are ready to 
drop one by one as 
required. The per¬ 
former remarks that 
“ the atmosphere is im¬ 
pregnated with minute 
atoms of gold and 
silver, and so few 
persons ever think of collectingj this precious metal—.in fact, 
the air is alive with florins and half-crowns. See, there comes 
a half-crown floating over that lady’s head.” Point with the 
right hand, and making a grab in the air pretend to catch it, 
at the same time immediately feign to throw it into the hat, 
and simultaneously from the left hand fingers allow one coin 
to fall to the bottom of hat. The audience hearing it fall 
imagine that one was really thrown in from the right hand. 
Place right hand into hat, and pick the coin out and show it, 
then pretend to throw it back into hat, really palming it in 
right, whilst the left hand drops another. This gives the 
performer one in the right hand unknown to the audience. 
The performer then pretends to see another in the air, and 
remarking, “ This little-known property of the air is really 



Fig. 2. 








THE AERIAL MINT 


179 

most useful, should you find yourself out anywhere and short 
of a cab fare home,” he makes another grab in the air, and 
brings the coin from palm to between tips of first finger and 
thumb. Again feigning to throw it towards hat, it is re¬ 
palmed, and another dropped by left hand, and so on, till the 
coins in the left hand are exhausted. The manner of 
throwing them into hat is varied as much as possible. Some 
coins are supposed to be thrown through the crown of the 
hat; some are apparently thrown into the air and caught in 
the hat as they fall, each time the sound of the coin is made 
by dropping one from the left hand. “ I will now blow one 
into the hat,” says the performer, and pretending to place a 
coin he has just caught into his mouth, really palms it, and 
blows at the hat, and the coin is heard to fall with a chink 
on to the others. This is very effective. 

Having now say twenty coins in the hat, he dips his right 
hand in, and taking a handful out allows them to pour down 
from right hand into hat. This he does several times, 
meanwhile walking amongst audience. As he comes to any 
person he may select he takes a handful, and streams them 
back in this manner, but retains some six or seven in the 
palm of right hand. Thrusting it under the lapel of the 
man’s coat he withdraws the hand, clinking the coins therein 
as though they had been taken from behind the coat lapel. 
He makes believe to throw them into the hat by bringing 
the right hand over the opening, striking its brim sharply 
with the wrist. This causes the coins in the hat to jump and 
jingle, and gives the appearance of the coins having been cast 
into hat by the right hand, but in reality they are still held 
there. They may be picked from the trimming of a lady’s 
hat, and the same false throw-in repeated—in fact, they may 
be taken in this way from all sorts of places. As many 
bundles of coins as is wished may be brought from various 
pockets into the hat to make up the number supposed to 
have been thus caught. 

The best conclusion to the trick is, on walking back to the 
table, to use some of the coins for another trick without 
making any break. 






































« 

















































I 










I 


















4 


■ 


♦ 



























. 







« 



















* 
















BALL TRICKS 





THE CUPS AND BALLS 


183 


THE CUPS AND BALLS. 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

This very ancient and essentially Oriental trick is a 
favourite with all the Hindoo Fakirs, but the cups they use 
are made of wood, and of a different shape from ours. The 
Hindoo method is not nearly so finished as the perfect 
sleight of hand described here. It is practically a glorified 
form of Thimblerig—our old racecourse friend, “ three little 
thimbles and a pea.” 

A man’s trick rather than a woman’s. Its effect in a room 
is excellent, but it is lost on a stage. It should not be 
attempted by any but well-advanced conjurers. 

Time, in expert hands, about five minutes. 

Effect. —A number of small balls are placed underneath 
the cups, or under one or two of them at discretion. A tap 
of the wand, and these balls appear or disappear at the will 
of the conjurer, so that they are gone when the audience is 
most confident of their presence, and are found where they 
are least expected. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A white serviette, borrowed 
in the house where the trick is shown, three tin cups, four 
small balls of pith or cork in performer’s right pochette, three 
potatoes or Tangarine oranges in left pochette, a pocket- 
handkerchief, which may be borrowed. The serviette is laid 
open upon the surface of the table. 

METHOD OF PALMING THE BALL. 

Place the ball between the fleshy parts of the bottom of 
the second and third fingers of the right hand, and the right 
thumb at the extreme left edge of the ball (Fig. 1), ready to 
roll it across the second finger to the tip of the first, in which 


184 


THE CUPS AND BALLS 



Fig. 1. 


Ball palmed, thumb ready to roll it 
to position of Fig. 2. 


Position in which to show ball; 
thumb is ready to make reverse 
movement to bring ball back to 
position of Fig. 1. 


position the ball should (Fig. 2) be shown to the audience. 
The thumb should not shift, as the performer knows that by 
reversing the movement of rolling, the ball will traverse the 
same distance, and, of course, go back exactly to the place 
of starting, viz. the fleshy part of the second and third 
fingers, as Fig. 1, so that by feigning the action of placing 
the ball in the left hand the ball is instantaneously palmed 
in the right by simply rolling the ball with the thumb to its 
proper position. 


TO HOLD THE BALL WHILST CONVEYING UNDER CUPS. 
The ball should be palmed as above, and rolled to top of 



Fig. 3. 

Ball held at extreme tip of little 
finger ready to introduce beneath 
cup. 


first finger, as in Fig. 2. The 
third and little finger should 
then join the first finger and 
thumb, and receive the ball in 
between the top joints of the 
fingers. The act of straighten¬ 
ing the hand will cause the 
ball to roll to the extreme tip 
of the little finger (Fig. 3), so 
that when a cup is raised by 
the hand the ball can be 
secretly introduced under it. 









THE CUPS AND BALLS 185 

As this will be used in the following sections, it will be 
spoken of as “introducing the ball” (Fig. 4). 

Presentation of 
Trick. —The trick 
may be described 
in four sections, 
which follow one 
another without 
any break. 

Section i. 

The performer 
gives the three tin 
or brass conical 
cups to the audi¬ 
ence for examination. Taking one in his left hand, and 
placing the magic wand into it, he remarks, “This cup is 
quite solid. This one,” taking the second, “ is a little deeper 
inside than it is outside.” Measuring with the wand inside, 
and marking the edge with the right thumb, he withdraws 
the wand, and slides the thumb an inch or so up the wand, 
and measures the cup on the outside, seeming thus to show 
that the cup is deeper inside than it is outside. “ This cup,” 
taking the third in the left hand, “ has a small spring running 
down the side of it, so that when it is pressed with the 
thumb” (suiting the action to the word) “it allows one cup to 
pass through the other.” At that moment the second cup is 
thrown into the third, and the fingers of the left hand release 
the third cup, which falls to the table, and catch the second, 
the appearance being that one cup actually passed through 
the other. 

He then continues : “ I want for this experiment a little 
ball. I have no doubt but that I can produce one from my 
magic wand.” Taking the wand in right hand, he taps it 
lightly on the left, transfers the wand quickly to left, and 
slides right hand up the wand until it reaches the top, where 
a small ball, which has then been taken from the right 
pochette, is at that instant produced, having been palmed 



Fig. 4. 

Introducing the ball. The cup is here tilted con¬ 
siderably further than in actual performance. 





186 THE CUPS AND BALLS 


Fig. 5. 

Ball palmed between fleshy part or 
second and third fingers. 


in readiness in the right hand. 
The ball thus produced is ap¬ 
parently transferred to the 
left hand, but really palmed 
again in the right, and held at 
the bottom of the second and 
third fingers (Fig. 5). The 
cup No. 1 is tilted with the right 
hand, and the ball supposed to 
be in the left hand is appa¬ 
rently placed under cup No. 1 
(Fig. 6). “ I want 
a second ball,” 
remarks the per¬ 
former, and suit¬ 
ing the action to 
the word ap¬ 
parently takes 
another, but really 
the same, ball 
from the wand. 
This he pretends 
to place under 
cup No. 2, but 
again palms in right hand. A third is then presumably 
taken from the wand, and with a similar movement the ball 
is actually placed under cup No. 3, and immediately a pro¬ 
nounced feint is made, as if the ball had not been really left 
under the third cup. The performer pretends to hear some¬ 
one remark that the ball is not under the cup, and knocks it 
with his wand, when the ball is found to be underneath and 
the hand empty. It is placed into left hand (really again 
palmed), and the cup tilted, and the ball is apparently placed 
under the third cup. “ Now,” remarks the performer, “ we 
have a ball under each cup ” (really nothing). “ My diffi¬ 
culties now commence. I must take the balls out without 
even raising the cups. How can I do it ? I simply touch 
them with my wand, and the ball appears at the end of it. 


Fig. 6. 

Pretending to place ball from left hand under cup 
No. 1. Ball is really palmed in right hand. 



THE CUPS AND BALLS 187 

Here is the first ball, and you see the cup empty” (raise and 
show cup empty). “ This ball I shall not require, so I push 
it back into my wandTaking the ball in right hand and 
pretending to place it in left hand, palm it in right and push 
wand through left hand, at the same time gently open left 
hand. The ball has the appearance of having been scooped 
up out of the hand into the wand. “ The next I pinch 
through the top of the cup.” Pinch the top edge of the cup 
and produce palmed ball, showing No. 2 cup empty. This is 
again apparently placed into left hand, touched with the 
wand, and it also vanishes, being again palmed in right hand. 

“ And from this one,” denoting No. 3 cup, “ I gather the 
small particles together which are floating around ”—wave 
hand around top of cup—and so produce the third ball” 
(really the same ball all through), “ and the cups you see are 
quite empty.” 

Now take secretly from the right pochette another ball, 
and palm it in right hand. Pick up with left hand No. 1 
ball, which is lying on the table, saying, “ I want another 
ball. Of course I could take it from my wand, but I won’t 
do that. Pll pinch a piece off the ball we already have.” 
At this moment make the tourniquet and show ball from 
right hand. Bringing the two hands suddenly together, 
make a little click with the nail of a finger of each hand, and 
produce two balls, one in each hand, held by the third finger 
and thumb. 

Section 2 . 

There are now two balls upon the table. The cups are 
shown empty. Pick up the two balls, one in each hand, and 
say, “ These two balls I place under the centre cup.” Pre¬ 
tend to place ball in right hand into left hand, but palm it. 
At same moment lift the centre cup with right hand, and 
pretend to place two balls under it, when, in reality, only one 
is placed there. Simultaneously lifting the two outer cups, 
^ay, “ These two cups are empty.” At the same moment 
introduce the palmed ball under the right-hand or No. 3 cup. 
Proceed: “ I shall now endeavour to make the two balls, 
which are underneath the centre cup, pass into the two outer 


188 


THE CUPS AND BALLS 


cups. To do this, I touch with my magic wand the centre 
cup, and a ball immediately appears at the end of the wand. ’ 

Pretend to take the imaginary 
ball from off the wand, and 
say, “This I throw into the air, 
x'V-*. and it passes under one of the 

cups.” Lift centre cup, and 
say, “ There, one has gone ! ” 
and picking up ball with right 
hand (Fig. 7, note position of 
finger) feign transfer to left, 
but really palm it in right 
hand. Then lift cup No. 1, 
and say, “It is here!” Seeing 
nothing there say, “No, not there.” Put down cup, introduce 
palmed ball, and lift cup No. 3, and there find the ball intro¬ 
duced previously. Returning to centre cup, No. 2, say, “I now 
take this ball.” Touch cup with wand, pretend to take ball 
from wand, and hold left hand over No. 1 cup. Touch hand with 
wand, open hand, and then show that the ball has apparently 
passed through top of cup. When Nos. 1 and 3 are lifted a 
ball is found under each. 



Fig. 7. 

Picking up ball with right hand. 


Section 3 . 

Pointing to the two balls, one of the audience is now 
asked, “ Which do you consider the larger ball of the two ? ” 
It is quite immaterial which is chosen. The performer 
picks up the one indicated, and says, “ I break a piece 
off this one.” He has previously taken two out of his right 
pochette. One is held between first and second finger, 
and the other between second and third finger of right 
hand, and he apparently breaks a piece off the one in¬ 
dicated, and says, “ Now there are three balls.” Placing 
them on the table, he shows the three cups empty— 
“No. 1, No. 2,” and as he says “No. 3” he introduces the 
fourth ball under it. Taking ball No. 1 he says, “This 1 
place in the middle cup ” (palms it). “ This,” taking the 
next ball, “ into No. 1 cup,” and he introduces also the ball 
palmed, “and this,” No. 3, “I pass'into the last cup in the 


THE CUPS AND BALLS 189 

usual manner.” Saying this, he pretends to place the ball 
into left hand (really palms it), and touching the left hand 
with wand opens it over No. 3 cup, and says, “ It has 
arrived.” Appearing to think someone has doubted the 
statement, he lifts the cup, and shows the ball that was 
previously placed there, and secretly introduces the fourth 
ball. “ Now I will take this ball,” indicating the one under 
the second or middle cup, and pretending to extract it with 
the wand shows the ball gone, and demands of the audience 
which cup the ball shall be found under. It is of course 
immaterial which is chosen, as there are two under each of 
the end ones. “This one?” raising No. 1. “You see there 
are two there as desired,” picking them up one in each hand. 
Pretend to put them both back, but palm one, saying, “ Now 
if you had chosen the other! You see I take one out with my 
wand,” producing the one palmed, and show one left under 
cup No. 1. Place ball apparently into left hand, really 
palmed, and touch with wand, and throw towards cup No. 3; 
lift cup, and show two balls ; then introduce fourth ball into 
third cup, and then show ball under No. 1 cup. Palm, pre¬ 
tend to place it in No. I cup, touch cup with wand, command 
it to go to cup No. 3 ; lift cup No. 1, ball has disappeared, 
and is found under cup No. 3, together with the other two— 
that is, three balls under cup No. 3, and one ball palmed in 
right hand. 

Section 4. 

Ask someone from the audience to come to the table to 
assist. Place three balls on table, one in front of each cup, 
and borrow a pocket-handkerchief. A little fun may be 
procured by pretending to make the handkerchief longer 
by stretching. Then make it into a kind of bag, and 
ask your assistant to cover each ball with a cup, after 
having satisfied himself that the cups are empty. He does 
so, covering each ball. “ Now how many balls would you 
like me to take out of the cups?” Someone suggests, say, 
fourteen. Hand the person assisting the wand, and say, 
“Each time a cup is touched a ball will appear under it.” 
Lift each cup, and in placing it again on table introduce 


THE CUPS AND BALLS 


190 

another ball (the fourth), already palmed. Pretend to place 
the ball that is found under the cup into the handkerchief, 
but really palm it. Raise next cup and introduce palmed 
ball. Repeat this until the fourteen have been presumably 
placed into the handkerchief. Now desire the person assist¬ 
ing to hold the handkerchief by the top corners, and to 
release as you say “ Three.” Snatch the handkerchief, and 
say, in shaking it, that the balls have gone underneath the 
cups. Raise cup No. 1 with right hand, and with left take 
a small potato or orange from the left pochette (Fig. 8), and 


Fig. 8. 

Raising cup No. 3 with right, 
left takes potato or orange 
from pocket. 


Fig. 9. 

The potato or orange is put into 
cup under cover of the movement 
of picking up the cup from table 
with right hand—transferring it 
to left and replacing it on table. 
The complete movement is shown 
in Figs. 8, 9, and 10. 




cover it quickly with the cup (Fig. 9), placing it on the table 
immediately (Fig. 10). Repeat this with the three cups, 
placing a potato under each. Then take a ball in right hand, 
transfer to left, palm it, and touch it with wand, and simulate 
passing it through the cup. Repeat with the other two balls, 
each time palming the ball and dropping it into the profonde , 
stating that now you have one under each cup. Ask assist- 




THE CUPS AND BALLS 


Fig. 11. 

The three potatoes discovered; 
or the assistant may be allowed 
to lift the cups and find these. 


Fig. 10. 

Left replacing cup—finishing the 
movement by which the potato 
or orange is introduced. 


ant to raise the cup, and, to his surprise, the three potatoes 
are discovered in the place of the balls (Fig. 11). 




i 9 2 THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK* 

CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. 

Pure sleight of hand, in which the whole effect depends 
upon skilful manipulation. It may be performed by either 
sex, but is more of a man’s trick than a woman’s, unless 
accompanied by very graceful manipulation. Mdlle. Patrice, 
originally a pupil of Mr. Charles Bertram, has made a feature 
of this trick with great success. 

Time Occupied. —About five minutes. 

Effect. —The performer asks if anyone present happens to 
have a billiard ball in his pocket. As this is not forthcoming, 
he proceeds to pinch one off the top of his wand, and passes 
it mysteriously from one hand to another. It next appears 
from behind his elbow; then it is thrown into the air, 
disappearing altogether, to be found behind the other elbow. 
The one red ball now turns into three, two of which are 
thrown into the air and disappear. The remaining ball 
is changed into a white, which soon becomes a white one 
of half the size. This is swallowed, and is reproduced from 
below the performer’s chin, and finally it vanishes altogether. 

Requisites and Preparation. —One large red ball; two 
red shells, or hollow half balls of metal or celluloid; one 
large white ball; two small white balls; a small plate. The 
performer places a red ball under right edge of waistcoat, 
and two red shells, laid one on the other, under its left edge; 
one white ball and one small white ball in left pochette, and 
one small white ball in right waistcoat pocket. 


THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


i93 


Presentation of Trick. — At com¬ 
mencing the performer asks the audience 
to lend him a billiard ball—“ if any 
gentleman happens to have one in his 
pocket”—he holds out his hand, as if 
expecting one, which shows that they 
are empty. The right hand is brought 
to right edge of waistcoat (Fig. 1). The 
wand lies in his hand between first and 
second fingers and thumb. 


W ith a slight drawing in of the stomach 
the ball falls from under the vest into 
the right hand, and is hidden by fingers, 
wand, and thumb. “ Well,” says the 
performer, “ it’s no use being a wizard 
unless one can produce so small an 
article as a billiard ball from the magic 
wand ; you notice, by gently tapping 
my hand, a little red spot appears at 
the top of the wand ” (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 1. 

Holding out left hand, as 
though expecting bil¬ 
liard ball to be handed 
1|up; right’getting the 
ball from waist. 



Fig. 2. 

“A little red spot appears 
at the top of the wand.” 


N 








i 9 4 


THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


The right hand slides up the wand, 
and as it reaches the top the red ball is 
produced (Fig. 3). “That is the billiard 
ball.” 



Fig. 3. 

“That is the billiard ball.” 


Now say, “You see it’s perfectly 
solid ” (knocking it on table); “ it is 
also fluid, and becomes soft by rubbing 
it in the hands.” Here roll the ball 
between the hands. Pretend to place it 
in the left hand, but really palm in the 
right. Turn the back of left hand to 
audience (Fig. 4) 



Fig. 4. 

Back of left hand to audi¬ 
ence, ball palmed in 
right. 





THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 195 


and make a slight rubbing movement, 
and turn the hand gradually, and the 
ball seems to have melted away (Fig. 5). 
“Ah!” you say, “it has not gone far; 
here it is,” and produce it slowly from 
behind the right knee. Then remark¬ 
ing that the ball is solid, and tapping it 
on table, a half turn is made from the 
audience, and the two shells or halves 
are taken from the waistcoat by the left 
hand. 



Fig. 5. 

Turn the left hand gradu¬ 
ally—the ball seems to 
have melted away. 


Bringing the right and left hands 
together, slip these shells quickly over 
the solid ball (Fig. 6). 



Fig. 6. 

The shells are slipped quickly 
over the solid ball. 





196 THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


Then say, “ I want another ball. I 
pinch a small piece off this one ” (pre¬ 
tending to do so), “ and here it is,” 
opening the hand with nothing in it 
The operation is repeated, saying that 
“ the small piece was not detached.” 
The second time one of the shells is 
taken off and held between the finger 
and thumb of right hand, circling the 
half shell (Fig. 7). 



Fig. 7. 

Right hand holds one 
shell and left one shell 
with solid ball behind 
it. 


“Now by swaying the hands back¬ 
wards and forwards another can be pro¬ 
duced.” This time the solid ball rolls 
out from behind the second shell on to 
the finger-tips of the right hand, so that 
a shell is held in each hand and a solid 
ball in the centre, the audience sup¬ 
posing they see three solid balls (Fig. 8). 



Fig. 8. 

A shell in each hand, solid 
ball in centre. 








THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 197 


Place the shell from the right hand 
into the left hand, holding it by the 
finger-tips. Allow the solid ball to roll 
behind the shells again, and close the 
right hand as if holding the missing 
ball, and pretend to swallow it. The 
second shell is now placed over the first, 
and the hand closed as if holding a ball. 
Ask one of the audience to catch it, 
simulating a throw. He will try to 
catch it, and nothing, of course, is 
thrown (Fig. 9). 



Fig. 9 . 

Simulating throwing the 
second ball after shell 
has been slipped over 
the first and the solid 
ball. 


This will cause a little diversion, and 
the two shells are palmed off with the 
right hand. A half-turn to the right, 
to tap the solid ball again on the table 
with the left hand, gives the opportunity 
to drop the shells into the right profonde. 



Fig. 10. 

Showing that ball is solid 
with left, and right 
dropping shells into 
profonde. 



98 THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


Go round the table and make one or two 
more passes with the solid red ball and 
a half-turn to the left, and throw it into 
the air (Fig. u) and catch it. 



Fig. 11. 

Red ball thrown in air 
— left hand getting 
white ball from left 
pochette. 


Whilst the eyes of the audience watch this, the left hand 
takes the large white ball from left pochette, and, bringing 



Fig. 13. 

Position of balls in 
right hand. 



to meet right hand 
as it catches red ball, 
leaving the white ball 
in the palm as in 
Fig. 13. 


it quickly up to meet the right hand as the red ball falls, 
’places white ball into palm of right hand (Figs. 12 and 13). 





THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


199 


Take red ball in the fingers of your 
left hand and say, “ I’ve only to pass 
my hand over the red ball and it be¬ 
comes a white one” (Fig. 14). Raise 
right hand, bring white ball to tips of 
fingers, and, bringing it down past the 
red, place the red into right palm, and 
take white on tips of left-hand fingers. 
This exchange is difficult to describe, 
but it is really made in passing one 
hand down in front of the other, the 
two balls changing places. 



Fig. 14. 

Red ball is taken in 
fingers of left hand, 
and white ball brought 
to tips of fingers ot 
left hand. 


The red ball is then found under the 
chin (Fig. 15), 



Fig. 15. 


The red ball is found 
under chin. 



200 THE BILLIARD-BALL TRICK 


* 


or taken from the left elbow (Fig. 16). 



Fig. 16. 

Is taken from the elbow 
instead of from the 
chin. 


The white ball is now juggled, viz. thrown into the air, and 
the small white ball is taken from the left pochette, and 
motions gone through in the red and white exchange are 
repeated, the small one being palmed in right hand, the 
hand passed down to change it for the large white, which is 
taken from the shoe-tip or elsewhere. 

The small ball is now juggled, and apparently transferred 
to left hand, but palmed in the right. Pretend to swallow 
it, and take it from your back, the ball having been in the 
right palm all the time. It is now really put into the mouth, 
and, pretending to swallow it, you take in the right hand, 
obviously to the audience, the second small ball from the 
waistcoat pocket, make the tourniquet, and strike the right 
palm on the top of the head, and drop the small ball out of 
the mouth. It seems to have passed right through the 
cranium, and the left hand drops the first ball into the left 
profonde. This should all be practised before a glass, as it 
is quite impossible to adopt accurately another’s methods, 
and some little movements will suggest themselves to the 
amateur, which he will perchance consider better than any¬ 
thing that can be described to him. 


HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS 



















































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TO PRODUCE REAL HENS EGGS 203 


TO PRODUCE A NUMBER OF REAL HEN'S EGGS 
FROM A HANDKERCHIEF* 

A useful opening experiment, or good single item. Can be 
performed by gentleman or lady, but not recommended for 
ladies. 

Time Occupied. —From five to fifteen minutes, at desire. 

Effect. —A tall silk hat is borrowed and shown to be 
empty, and then placed upon a table or chair. The per¬ 
former draws from his pocket an ordinary pocket-handker¬ 
chief, unfolds it, and shows it to audience. He then folds 
it once and shakes out of it into the hat, in full view of 
the audience, a number of real hen’s eggs, one after the 
other, which he proceeds to distribute. Finally he hands 
round the hat and handkerchief for inspection. 

Requisites and Preparation. —As many eggs as it is 
proposed to produce (from four to eight suggested). A silk 
or bowler hat to be borrowed. Two handkerchiefs alike 
(silk for preference, but cambric will do). Blow a large hen’s 
egg, making a very small hole at 
one end and a slightly larger hole 
at the other end. Take a long 
needle (a large darning-needle will 
do) threaded with black thread, 
knotted at the end with a knot 
small enough to pass through the 
larger hole of the egg, but too big 
to go through the smaller hole. 

Pass the needle into the egg through 
the larger hole and out of the 
smaller one, drawing the thread 
through the egg, until the knot is 
drawn against the inner side of the 
small hole. The egg will now hang by the thread. Fix the 
other end of the thread to the hem of one of the hand¬ 
kerchiefs at E (Fig. 1). The length of .the thread must 



Shows how to fix egg to 
handkerchief. 




204 TO PRODUCE REAL HENS EGGS 

be such that when you hold the handkerchief up by corners 
A and B the egg drops to just past centre of handkerchief. 

Into your ordinary handkerchief 
pocket place the prepared handkerchief, 
so folded that when you take it out you 
grasp corners A and B. 

Into your left pocket place half of 
the eggs you purpose producing; the 
other half go into right pocket, under¬ 
neath these being your duplicate 
(unprepared) handkerchief, rolled up 
small, with an elastic band round it 
for palming. 

Presentation of Trick. —Borrow the 
hat, and as you walk back with it pass 
one egg from left pocket unseen into 
hat, placing the hat, crown downwards, on your table or a 
chair beside you. 

Whilst placing the hat 
upon the table you may re¬ 
mark to the lender that you 
are pleased to see he has left 
a little money inside it. You 
notice (tapping crown with 
wand) there is a crown in it. 

Draw out the faked pocket- 
handkerchief, taking care that 
you hold it by corners A and 
B , with the egg hanging on 
side toward yourself (Fig. 3). 
Wave the handkerchief a 
little, at the same time saying that perhaps they might 
be surprised to be informed that it contained a live hen. 
What, they doubt your word ! You would not deceive them 
for anything, and will prove your words immediately, etc. 




Fig. 2. 

Showing how egg will 
fall when handkerchief 
is held by corners C 
and D. 




TO PRODUCE REAL HEN S EGGS 205 

Whilst talking you bring the corners 
A and B together into your left hand 
(Fig. 4), and pass your right hand down 
the edges of handkerchief to grasp 
corners C and D , at the same time 
bringing the handkerchief into the 
position of Fig. 5. 

The handkerchief is now doubled 
in half, with the egg between the two 
halves. 

If the left hand be taken from A B 
to C, the right holding D , the egg will 
roll out of the handkerchief into the 
hat (Fig. 6). Take care to hold the 
handkerchief sufficiently high above 
the hat, so that the audience has a 
good view of the egg as it falls between 
the handkerchief and hat, this also keeps the egg from striking 
bottom of hat and breaking. 



Fig. 4. 

Corners A and B in left 
hand. 



Fig. 5. 

Handkerchief now folded, with egg between the 
two halves. 



Fig. 6.! 

Position of handkerchief 
above hat as the egg 
falls out. 












206 TO PRODUCE REAL HEN’S EGGS 

Without waiting allow 
the D C side of handker¬ 
chief to fall over the front 
brim of hat, towards the 
audience, leaving the cor¬ 
ners A and B towards 
the inside of hat (see 
Fig- 7 )- 

Take out of the hat the 
real egg you loaded into it 
when it was borrowed, and 
hand it to a member of the 
audience. Returning from 
so doing, take another egg from left pocket, and place it into 
hat as you pick up corners of handkerchief A and B. This 
brings you back to original position of Fig. 3. Repeat the 
process for each egg to be produced, varying your con¬ 
versation to suit the occasion and audience. If as you shake 
out the second and subsequent eggs you can imitate the 
“tuck! tuck!” of a rooster who has just laid an egg, this 
will cause a laugh, and add the touch of merriment necessary 
in drawing-room conjuring. 

As you produce the last egg allow the faked handkerchief 
to fall right into the hat, and as you return from handing the 
egg, take duplicate handkerchief from right pocket into your 
hand. Under pretence of looking to see if there are any 
more eggs or money, place it in hat, then crumple up the 
faked one with blown egg into your left hand against inside 
of hat. In your right hand take the hat with duplicate 
handkerchief and pass it round for inspection, drawing away 
the left hand with the faked handkerchief to left pocket. 

Very little skill in sleight-of-hand is required in this trick, 
as your back is to the audience each time you take an egg 
from your pocket. The right hand picking up hat at finish 
covers your withdrawal of the faked handkerchief. 

The manipulation of the handkerchief must be very slow 
and deliberate, the only quick action being the dropping 
of handkerchief over front of hat after the egg rolls into 
it. Allow it to drop naturally at once; any appearance of 
throwing it quickly down for a purpose will spoil the effect. 



Fig. 7. 

Showing position of hat, with handkerchiei 
laid ready to produce next egg. 


THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


207 


THE SUN AND MOON TRICK WITH 
HANDKERCHIEFS* 

FRANK KENNARD’S METHOD. 

A laughable experiment giving the impression that a con¬ 
siderable amount of destruction takes place, which is sure 
to amuse an audience, and to delight children, especially 
when the articles supposed to be destroyed are borrowed. 
Suitable for a male performer only, owing to the numerous 
“ pocketings ” and changes. 

Time Occupied. —Ten minutes. 

Effect. —A white handkerchief is borrowed from a lady, 
and a pair of scissors or a knife is handed to someone, who 
is asked to mark the borrowed article by snipping a piece 
out of the centre. A coloured handkerchief is treated in the 
same manner. The two handkerchiefs with centres cut out 
are rolled together, and given to one of the company to hold. 
The missing pieces are then magically restored, but it is 
found that the coloured piece has gone into the white hand¬ 
kerchief, and the white piece into the coloured. The two are 
now wrapped up in a sheet of newspaper, and the pieces 
return to their proper handkerchiefs. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A small white handker¬ 
chief. Two coloured ones exactly alike. Another similar 
coloured one from the centre of which a round piece has 
been neatly cut, and a piece of white cambric sewn in its 
place. A white handkerchief from centre of which a slightly 
smaller piece has been cut, and the space filled with the 
coloured piece. A newspaper with the top edges of its first 
two sheets pasted together, and also the edges down one side 
as far as the middle, and a strip right across the middle. One 
of the coloured handkerchiefs is folded four times and placed 
flat into this pocket, allowing the newspaper to be displayed 


208 THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


without showing that it is in any way prepared. A pair of 
scissors, or a sharp knife, and a pistol. 

The white unprepared handkerchief is concealed under 
the edge of waistcoat, a little to the left side. One of the 
coloured ones is upon the table. 

The coloured with white centre, and white with coloured 
centre, are folded together as compactly as possible, and 
placed in right coat-tail pocket. 

The newspaper with concealed coloured handkerchief is 
on table, as are the pistol, and scissors. 

Presentation of Trick. —Performer opens by borrowing 
a lady’s handkerchief. Should a lace one, or one with a 
coloured border, or distinctly different from performer’s white 
“ vested ” handkerchief be offered, some reason such as that 
“ the lace is too delicate for the strain of this trick ” must be 
made, and a plainer one obtained. 

Take the proffered handkerchief with the right hand, and 
place it in left, bunching it together as much as possible 
without seeming to do so ; turn to go back to table, and 
as soon as the audience are all behind you take your own 
handkerchief from waistcoat with right hand, and vest the 
borrowed one from left. In doing this care must be taken 
to keep the elbows close to the body, and to move the fore¬ 
arms only. Turn round immediately you reach table, with 
the handkerchief in right hand, and address someone sitting 
to your right: “ Now, sir, I want you to mark this lady’s 
handkerchief so that we cannot fail to know it again, for 
I must let it go out of my possession in a moment, and it is 
most necessary that I should be able to identify it. Will you 
take this pair of scissors ”—hand him the scissors—“ and make 
a bold cut here.” 


THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 209 


Hold handkerchief by centre in 
right hand, and grasp all four cor¬ 
ners with left, so that he must cut 
out the middle (Fig. 1). 



Fig. 1. 


Shake out the handkerchief by two corners so that the 
hole is well displayed, saying “You have certainly marked 
that well, and we cannot fail to recognise the mark. You 
will notice that I always let a volunteer do the marking, in 
case the owner should object to receive back her property so 
mutilated. It is much more convenient that someone else 
should explain away the mark, or perhaps convince the owner 
that it is an improvement. 


“ As you have done this so thor¬ 
oughly, sir, I will ask you to 
mark my handkerchief”—pick up 
coloured one from table—“ in the 
same way.” Have piece cut out as 
before, and show the hole (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 2. 


O 







2io THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


Now place both handkerchiefs 
together and fold them up. Pick 
up the pieces and fold them to¬ 
gether, saying, “ Will you keep the 
peace—pieces, I mean ”—handing 
them to assistant (Fig. 3). “ Please 
hold them in your left hand, and 
close your fingers over them.” 



Fig. 3. 

The mutilated handkerchiefs are in performer’s left hand. 
Right hand picks up wand, which is given to the assistant, 
and in so doing the performer turns with his left side to 
audience, and says, “ Now, sir, you have the pieces, have you 
not, still in your left hand ? Take my magic wand and strike 
your knuckles three times, and the pieces will disappear.” 
Under cover of body the right hand takes the two rolled up 
handkerchiefs from right pocket. “ Hold your hand a little 
higher, sir.” 


Bring left hand down and leave 
the handkerchiefs on top of those 
in right hand (Fig. 4) and it 
will appear to hold only the two 
damaged ones, whilst in reality 
there are four. This movement 
must be made quite naturally, as 
though placing the two handker¬ 
chiefs in right hand to release your 
left, which is immediately raised 
to show the assistant how to hold 
his hand with the pieces in. 



Fig. 4. 







THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


2 I I 


“ Now, sir”—place the two bun¬ 
dles of handkerchiefs into your left 
hand, so that the two just obtained 
from pocket are on top (Fig. 5)— 


“ one, two, three! Have the pieces 
gone? No! Oh, you did not 
strike hard enough. Will you allow 
me? The gentleman seems dis¬ 
inclined to let me try. Well, I 
will ask someone over here to hold 
these handkerchiefs.” Walk to 
left, and in handing to a gentleman 
on left take the top packet in right 
hand to give to him, the left hand 
dropping the others into coat-tail 
pocket (Fig. 6). 

Fig. 6. 

Walk back to the first gentleman. “ Now, if you will hand 
me the pieces and my wand.” 

Place the wand under left arm, pretend to place the pieces 
into left hand, retaining them in right, and taking wand at 
once from under arm into right hand. “ I will try what I 
can do. One, two, three! ” Strike knuckles of left hand 
gently with wand. “ There they go. Did you see them ? 
Ah, but you felt them, sir,” turning to the one holding the hand¬ 
kerchiefs. “ I was sure you would ; a little heavier in your 






212 


THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


hand, of course. The pieces have just flown in. Now we can 
return the borrowed handkerchief, if you will be so kind as 
to undo them, show them, and give this lady hers and me 
mine.” 

The holder undoes them, and 
discovers the handkerchiefs with 
the wrong centres. “ My dear sir, 
you must have held them up¬ 
side down.” Take handkerchiefs 
and walk to table. “ You see the 
result (Fig. 7). Madam, I must 
apologise for this gentleman’s 
mistake. I am most sorry, but 
perhaps if I give you both of these 
handkerchiefs it will make up for 
it. I will wrap them up neatly 
for you.” 

Pick up the newspaper and show it carelessly. Tear off 
the two front pages which contain the coloured handkerchief 
and wrap the two handkerchiefs in it. “Will you hold this 
package, sir,”—to first assistant—“ whilst I try my skill as a 
marksman ? We have already seen yours, you know, when 
you marked the handkerchiefs. Hold them just above your 
head.” 



Pick up the pistol. “Oh, 
there is no cause for alarm, 
sir. It is a regulation Army 
pistol—made in Germany 
(Fig. 8).. Now—fire! I 
think I have been success¬ 
ful.” 



Fig. 8. 




THE SUN AND MOON TRICK 


21 


Take the packet and break it 
open, bursting the paper with a 
sharp bend (Fig. 9), not undoing it. 
This discloses the handkerchief, 
which was concealed between the 
sheets. 


Fig. 9. 

Pull it out and throw the paper, which of course contains 
two handkerchiefs with wrong centres, carelessly on to the 
floor near your screen, or out of reach upon the table. Open 




Fig. 10. 


out the handkerchief (Fig. 11), and under cover of it take the 
borrowed handkerchief with second and third fingers of right 
hand from beneath waistcoat (Fig. 10) 










214 THE sun and moon trick 


and sharply raising right hand, 
and releasing the hold of left on 
coloured handkerchief shake out 
together (Fig. 12), and return the 
lady’s handkerchief. 



Fig. 12. 






HANDKERCHIEFS AND PLATE 


215 


THE HANDKERCHIEFS AND SOUP PLATE. 

(1) CHARLES BERTRAM’S METHOD. (2) MDLLE. PATRICE’S 
METHOD FOR LADIES. 

A showy trick, suited to performer of either sex. An 
experiment specially recommended to lady conjurers. 

Time Occupied. —About four minutes. 

Effect. —A newspaper is laid over the seat of a chair, and 
upon it is placed a soup plate. The performer takes two 
coloured silk handkerchiefs and rolls them into his hand one 
at a time. Passing the closed hand over the plate, he slowly 
opens it; the handkerchief is found to have disappeared. 
When both have thus vanished the soup plate is raised, and 
the handkerchiefs are discovered beneath it. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Two red silk handkerchiefs 
alike, and two green ditto; a newspaper; a soup plate ; a small 
servante fixed behind a chair; a vanisher, i.e. an oblong 
black tin receptacle about the size of an egg, having a hole 
in one side. This is attached to a thick piece of elastic, 
or thin indiarubber cord, which passes through a hole in the 
waistcoat about an inch behind the top of the right-hand 
waistcoat pocket, and is fastened on to the back button of 
the trousers, the one to the left for preference. This draws 
the receptacle tightly up against waistcoat. 

The newspaper has a pocket made near the edge of one 
side, by pasting a patch of newspaper against it, leaving one 
edge open. Into this pocket are placed one of the red and 
one of the green handkerchiefs. The paper is folded in 
halves with the pocket between the fold. One red and one 
green handkerchief are upon the table. 

Presentation of Trick.— (i) The paper is opened and shown 
to the audience, of course keeping the pocket on the side 


216 HANDKERCHIEFS AND PLATE 


away from them, with the remark, “ Here is a newspaper. 
You see there is nothing in it—I mean nothing is concealed 
in it; it is quite empty.” The paper is now refolded, the 
pocket being still held away from the audience, and in the 
left hand. Pick up the soup plate in the right hand and 
show it, saying, “ Here is an empty soup plate. A plate 
like this is very valuable. They cost from five-and-twenty to 
thirty shillings each, more or less" Bring the plate over to the 
left hand, and grasp it with the left thumb against the news¬ 
paper and fingers of left hand, saying, “ I now lay this news¬ 
paper upon the chair.” The right hand takes the newspaper 
by the bottom edge and draws it away and lays it upon the 
chair. As this is being done the fingers of left hand slip 
the handkerchiefs out of the pocket in the paper, so that 
they are concealed behind the plate. “ I will now place the 
plate upon the newspaper on the chair. The newspaper 
is only put there to show you that there is no trick in the 
chair and no communication with anyone below.” The 
plate is laid upon the newspaper with the handkerchiefs 
beneath it, of course unseen by the audience. One of the 
handkerchiefs is taken from the table by its centre with the 
right hand, and placed hanging over the open palm of the 
left hand. The right hand, opened flat, is laid upon it, palms 
of both hands together, with the handkerchief between. A 
circular movement of the hands in opposite directions will 
roll the handkerchief into a ball. Pretend to place this in 
right hand, but really palm in left, taking up the wand 
instantly with left hand, as this helps to conceal the handker¬ 
chief. Hold the right over the soup plate, touch it with the 
wand, and slowly open the fingers, allowing it to be seen 
empty, meanwhile saying, “ 1 will pass this handkerchief 
through the soup plate—so.” The palmed handkerchief can 
be dropped into the left coat-tail pocket in turning to pick 
up the second handkerchief with the right. 

The second handkerchief is now transferred to the left 
hand, and in turning towards the right as though to show 
it to someone the left side of body comes towards the 
audience and allows you to get hold of and draw out the 


HANDKERCHIEFS AND PLATE 


17 


vanisher in the palm of the right hand. Say, “ I will now 
dispose of this green handkerchief just as I did the red 
one/’ turn to the left, bringing right side of body to audience, 
and cover the vanisher with the handkerchief. In rubbing 
the hands together the handkerchief can now be worked 
into the vanisher through the hole in its side. When the 
handkerchief is nearly all in attention should be drawn to 
the corner which is still hanging from the finger tips. The 
hands are brought together, the last piece of handkerchief 
squeezed into vanisher, and by keeping the fingers together 
and holding the wrists somewhat apart the hold on the 
vanisher is relaxed, and the elastic draws it back out of 
sight. The hands continue the movement for a time, as if 
the handkerchief were still there. Finally they are opened, 
and the handkerchief has disappeared. The plate is raised 
(Fig. 4), and both handkerchiefs are discovered beneath it. 

(2) Mdlle. Patrice’s method varies from the above in that no 
vanisher is required, which facilitates matters for a lady who 

has no coat or sleeves to conceal 
its flight. For the conjurer of 
either sex perhaps this method is 
to be recommended. There is 
also a difference in the preparation 
of the trick, as follows. An unpre¬ 
pared newspaper is used. 
The two duplicate hand¬ 
kerchiefs are rolled up 
together and placed so as 
to be entirely concealed 
underneath the back edge 
of the soup-plate upon the table. 
The other two are laid openly upon 
the table beside the plate (Fig. 1). 

In presenting the trick the newspaper is laid over the chair 
(Fig. 1), and the plate picked up from the table with the two 
rolled-up handkerchiefs pressed against the rim, and concealed 
by the fingers of left hand. The plate is shown to audience, 
face towards them. The right hand takes hold of the plate 



Fig. 1. 



218 HANDKERCHIEFS AND PLATE 



at the bottom rim and turns it over to show the back of the 

plate. The left hand does not 
move as this turn of the plate is 
made, and immediately grasps the 
top rim again when the back of 
plate is towards audience. This 
brings the handkerchiefs held in 
the fingers of left hand into the in¬ 
side of the plate quite unseen, for 
the right hand in reversing the 
plate has not moved it from its 
position of covering the fingers of 
left hand. The left hand now lays 
the plate with the handkerchiefs 
beneath it face downwards upon 
Fig. 2. the newspaper (Fig. 2). 



Fig. 3. 


The red and the green hand¬ 
kerchiefs are picked up from 
table, displayed, and laid for an 
instant on the chair, as in Fig. 2. 
They are then picked up, rolled 
one at a time, and palmed, as 
in the former method (Fig. 3), 



HANDKERCHIEFS AND PLATE 


219 



pretending to pass each of them 
separately beneath the plate 
(Fig- 4 )- 


Fig. 4. 



Fig. 5. 


The finish of the trick is shown in 
Fig. 5. The two palmed hand¬ 
kerchiefs are in right hand, 
covered by the wand held in the 
same hand. In removing the 
newspaper, plate, and handker¬ 
chiefs for the next trick oppor¬ 
tunity is easily found for dispos¬ 
ing of the two palmed handker¬ 
chiefs, either into a servante or 
amongst the objects removed. 


220 WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 


THE WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, AND GLASS, 

FRANK KENNARD’S METHOD. 

A useful trick for any audience, and also good for juveniles. 
More suitable for performance by gentleman than lady, as 
the latter would have to dispense with the vanishing of the 
glass, and alter the vanish of handkerchief. 

Time Occupied. —Eight minutes. 

Effect. —A watch is borrowed, and wrapped into a silk 
handkerchief. The package is sharply knocked with the 
bottom of a tumbler and the watch-glass smashed. Hand¬ 
kerchief and watch are now placed in the tumbler. The 
handkerchief is whisked up out of the tumbler, and the 
watch vanishes. Then the handkerchief is thrown up into 
the air and also disappears. Finally, the tumbler is wrapped 
in a newspaper and vanishes. All three articles are caught 
by the performer one by one in a tall silk hat. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Two silk handkerchiefs 
alike ; a tumbler ; a small piece of loaf-sugar ; a newspaper ; 
a watch borrowed from audience; a pull to vanish hand¬ 
kerchief (see p. 232, Fig. 2). One silk handkerchief is squeezed 
up and placed under edge of waistcoat; the other is palmed in 
right hand, which also holds wand. Handkerchief vanish 
arranged as described on page 233, Fig. 4. The small piece 
of sugar is placed in paper underneath the cloth of the table. 

Presentation of Trick. —A tall silk hat is borrowed, taken 
in performer’s left hand, transferred to his right, and turned 
crown downwards. The palmed handkerchief is dropped in, 
and the hat retaken into left hand, the wand being placed 
under left arm. As this is done say, “ I evidently did not 
express myself clearly, for this gentleman imagined I wanted 
a hat with silk in it, so he has been good enough to leave a 
silk handkerchief inside. I am much obliged. You quite 
anticipated my thoughts, for I was about to ask the loan of 
one. Now I should like to borrow a lady’s gold watch.” 


WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 221 

Place hat and handkerchief on table. Take watch from 
lady. “ I am glad to find that my reputation is still good 
enough for me to be entrusted with so valuable an article. 
Is it going?” Hold watch to ear. “Oh, yes, and it will 
soon be gone. I will make it a little soft by bending it.” 
Grasp watch between the thumb and first finger of each 
hand, and move the knuckle part of hands up and down. 
This gives the appearance of the watch being bent. “ I find 
watches go better after this. It is now in nice condition. I 
will wrap it in this handkerchief.” Wrap as shown in Figs. I, 
2 , 3>f4, 5- 



Fig. 1. 

Place watch in centre of hand¬ 
kerchief upon hand. 


Fig. 2. 

Fold once over from the bottom edge of 
handkerchier. 





Fig. 3. 

Then once over from right to left. 


Fig. 4. 

Then from left to right once. 







222 


WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 



Fig. 5. 

Now fold twice over from front, each time 
letting the watch slide down towards left 
arm as the fold is made. 


Fig. 6. 

A back view of the last fold, allowing watch 
to slide into hand. 


“You see I take great care of your property.” Listening, 
“Yes, it is still ticking.” Turn to table and pick up tumbler 
with right hand, and drop watch 
into left coat-tail pocket, saying, 

(Fig. 7), “ I have here a tumbler 
which, being transparent, you can 
see through it. It is the only 
part of the trick I wish you to 
see through. I shall place the 
watch in this glass, but first I will 
regulate it.” Place the folded 
handkerchief over the spot beneath 
which is the packet of pieces of 
sugar, and bring the glass down 
smartly upon it, scrunching the 
sugar, and exclaim, “ Dear me, I 
fear I have broken something! 

Well, madam, you should thank me, for I have converted 
yours into a stop-watch. You hear the pieces rattle, that 
shows they are all there. Now if I cover the glass with 
this hat—but no, if I cover it you may think I remove the 
glass, so I will not do so.” 



Fig. 7. 




WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 


223 


Whilst speaking take the hat in 
right hand and move as though to 
cover glass (Fig. 8), the left hand 
obtaining watch from pocket on 
saying “ but no.” 



Fig. 8. 


The hat is transferred to left hand and placed crown down¬ 
wards upon the table, the watch having been allowed to slide 
quietly in. “ I will spirit the watch away by just whisking 
it out of the tumbler and throwing it towards the ceiling.” 
Jerk the handkerchief out of glass, and laying it on the 
table look upwards, saying, “ There it goes. Now for the 
handkerchief.” The handkerchief is vanished exactly as 
described on pp. 234-237, except that when it is folded and 
drawn through the loop of the pull the performer immediately 
feigns to throw it into the air, and allows it to vanish up 
sleeve without using any glass cylinder, as is done in the 
“Changing Handkerchiefs” trick. “Handkerchief and watch 
are now both gone; only the tumbler remains. I have here 
a newspaper. There’s nothing in it—except advertisements. 
I will wrap the glass in it,” 





224 WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 


Squeeze the centre of the paper 
over the glass against your right 
leg, so that the shape of the glass 
shows plainly through the paper, 
and grip paper and glass round 
the glass with your right hand. 
Pretend to hear someone say that 
the glass is not really there, and 
tilt up the edge of paper, exposing 
the glass as in Fig. 9, saying, “ Oh 
no ! it is still there ; you may see 
for yourself.” 



Fig. 9. 


Let edge of paper fall again, and 
turning a little to the right pretend 
to throw paper and glass to some¬ 
one, saying, “ Perhaps you will take 
it, sir.” As the paper is lowered the 
right hand, under cover of the turn 
to right and the lowering of paper, 
takes glass into right coat-tail pocket 
(Fig. 10). 


Fig. 10. 

“You didn’t catch it; why, you were not quick enough ; 
it went through this little hole.” Shake out paper, and 
showing there is no glass there point to an imaginary hole 
in the paper. “.The three articles are now all in the ceiling, 
stuck with sealing-wax, of course. I shall, however, endeavour 
to bring them down again. The handkerchief and glass I 
am fairly sure of, but the watch sometimes stops, so I 
will try the watch first. May I use your hat?” Take up 
the hat, hold it at shoulder height, moving it a little as 



WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 225 

though making sure not to miss the watch ; flip the side of 
hat sharply with finger, simultaneously lowering hat an inch 
or two as though the watch had fallen. The flip makes the 
sound of watch striking hat, and the little drop of hat would 
• be the natural way to catch anything breakable. Walk to 
the lady who lent the watch, and request her to remove it 
from the hat herself, and to say whether it is the identical 
one she lent. Returning with hat to table, take the hand¬ 
kerchief from waistcoat and slip it unseen into the hat. 
Turning to the right, hold the hat in left hand in a 
catching position again, and say, “ Now for the hand¬ 
kerchief ; you will not be able to hear that fall on account 
of its lightness. Ah ! here it is.” 


Turn the hat over, allowing the 
handkerchief to flutter to the 
ground (Fig. 11). 



Fig. 11. 


With the right hand obtain glass 
from coat-tail pocket, and transfer¬ 
ring the hat to right hand as though 
to free left to pick up handkerchief 
(Fig. 12), you will be able to intro¬ 
duce the glass. This must all be 
done in one natural movement, 
which is well shown in Figs. 11 
and 12. 



P 


Fig. 12. 







226 WATCH, HANDKERCHIEF, GLASS 


Laying handkerchief aside upon table, hold the hat again as 
though about to catch, saying, “ There remains now only the 
tumbler. I will try also to catch that in the hat. The glass 
being rather heavy it may break the crown, and I should not 
like to return your hat with half a crown in it, sir.” Go 
through pantomime of catching again, but this time with a 
louder flip, and lower drop of hat as glass is supposed to be 
caught. Conclude, “ Ah, here is the glass! Now it only 
remains to return the hat, which I trust you will find in no 
degree damaged.” 


THE CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS 227 


THE CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS. 

MDLLE. PATRICE’S METHOD. 

A pretty trick for either lady or gentleman to perform. 
It is also described as “ Les Mouchoirs du Diable,” “ The 
Chameleon Handkerchiefs,” etc. 

Time Occupied. —Four or five minutes. 

Effect. —The performer shows a small sheet of ordinary 
white paper, and rolls it into a tube with an elastic band round 
it. Next two bright pink silk handkerchiefs are placed into 
one end of the paper tube, and being pushed through with 
the wand both appear out of the other end changed to a 
bright green colour. The paper tube is handed round to prove 
that it contains no concealed handkerchiefs or apparatus. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A black metal tube about 
four inches long and one and a half inches in diameter, 
with half a dozen holes bored through it round the centre 
to allow of a black linen bag to be sewn by its mouth 
into the centre of tube; two pink silk handkerchiefs, and 
two green ditto, all of one size; a sheet of stiff white 

cartridge paper about nine 
inches square (this should be 
rolled round the tube loosely 
without creasing, and a slight 
mark made with a pencil to 
show how far it must be 
rolled in order to make a 
tube into which the metal 
tube will fit just easily); a 
small elastic band. One of 
the green handkerchiefs is 
sewn by its centre to the 
bottom of the little bag 
which is fastened into the 
metal tube, and is of such 
size that it just reaches to 
the end of the tube (Fig. 1). 



Fig. 1. 

Showing the metal tube with centre of green 
handkerchief sewn to centre of the bag 
inside of tube which just reaches to end of 
tube. 


228 THE CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS 


In preparing for the trick, this fixed green handkerchief 
is pushed into the tube, and the other green one on top 
of it, so that the two are completely concealed, the bag 
inside the tube preventing them being pushed out at the 
other end. 

One of the pink handkerchiefs is laid carelessly upon the 
table, and on it the tube with the end where the green hand¬ 
kerchiefs are towards the back of table. Over the front end of 
the tube and almost entirely concealing it, except at the end 
which is towards the back, is thrown the second pink handker¬ 
chief. This is so that the performer may pick up the two hand¬ 
kerchiefs and the tube with them, and, under cover of placing 
the handkerchiefs into the paper roll, slip the metal tube in. 



Presentation of Trick. —The 

sheet of white paper is shown 
to be an ordinary one (Fig. 2). 
If desired, anyone may be al¬ 
lowed to handle it. Say, “ I will 
just roll this piece of paper into 
a tube and fix it with this elastic 
band.” Do so, taking care to 
roll just to the previously ascer¬ 
tained and marked spot which 
Fig. 2. makes a tube of correct size. 

Slip the wand through the tube, saying, “Just a simple roll of 
paper,” being particular to grasp the tube with left hand in 
the position of Fig. 4. 



Fig. 3. 


“Now I have here two pink 
silk handkerchiefs. I will place 
these into this little paper tube 
—so,” at the same time picking 
up the two handkerchiefs (Fig. 3). 
Slip the metal tube into the 
paper roll, and the two hand¬ 
kerchiefs after it half into the 
paper. This must be very 
quietly and deliberately done— 
the least hurry at this point 


THE CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS 229 

will spoil the trick. “ But perhaps if I place them in one at a 
time you will be better able to follow me.” Pull out the hand¬ 
kerchiefs, leaving the tube in the roll, grasped by the pressure 
of the thumb and fingers through the paper. Lay the hand¬ 
kerchiefs loosely upon the table. 

Take wand and slip it quickly 
behind the paper roll close up to 
the back of the roll, allowing it 
to pass between the fork of the 
fingers and thumb (Fig. 4). It 
appears to the audience that it 
is passed through the roll just 
as it was at first, and does away 
with the idea of anything being 
in the roll. 

Say, “ Now I want you to 
watch me very closely or you 
will be deceived. I take these handkerchiefs and place them 
into this roll—so.” With the tip of the wand pick up one 
handkerchief and push it into the roll, and then the second. 
Putting them in thus without the hand touching them is 
a finished little point of deceptive art. Next with the wand 

gently ram the two pink hand¬ 
kerchiefs into the inner metal 
tube — this must be carefully 
done in order not to shoot 
the two green ones out too 
quickly, and yet to get the pink 
ones entirely into the metal tube. 
Whilst doing this say, “ By 
merely passing these two pink 
handkerchiefs through this piece 
of white paper I shall endeavour 
quite to change their colour. Ah! 
here comes the first one” (Fig. 5). 
As a little piece of the green handkerchief appears at the 
other end lay down the wand, and draw it out with the finger 
and thumb of right hand, a little at a time, allowing the 



Fig. 5. 



Fig. 4. 



2 3 o THE CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS 

edges to fall round the paper tube, 
and finally grasp the handkerchief 
near the centre, and lift it to the 
table. Pull the second green one 
out in just the same manner; this 
when grasped by the centre brings 
out with it the metal tube (Fig. 6), 
which the handkerchiefs edges, 
having been allowed to fall over 
the edges of the paper roll, con¬ 
ceal as it is removed. 

Handkerchief and tube are laid lightly upon the first green 
one on the table. The paper may be quickly undone and 
shown quite empty, or tossed as it is to the audience, to 
examine for themselves. 



THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 


231 


THE MYSTERIOUSLY'JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS. 

FRANK KENNARD’S METHOD. 

An excellent trick, well suited to follow the handkerchiefs 
through the paper tube. Owing to the pulley arrangement 
and the sleeve vanish it is only suitable for a man. 

Time Occupied. —About three minutes. 

Effect. —A green silk handkerchief is tied by a corner to 
the corner of a yellow one, and the two rolled up together 
into a ball are placed into a glass^ standing in view of the 
audience. The performer then takes a red handkerchief, 
places it into a glass tube in full sight of the audience, when 
it suddenly disappears like a flash, and is found to be tied in 
between the two handkerchiefs in the glass, which have never 
been for an instant out of sight. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A glass tumbler; a round 
glass tube about eight inches long and about two inches 
diameter (one of the shades of an incandescent gaslight will 
serve the purpose well) ; a diamond-shaped handkerchief with 
centre maroon red and border green ; three square handker¬ 
chiefs of fine China silk with hemstitched borders. One hand¬ 
kerchief is yellow, and has 
green border; the second is 
green and has yellow border; 
the third is a maroon red, 
and has green border. Buy 
three white silk handker¬ 
chiefs, cut off the borders, 
dye the centres and borders 
separately to the necessary 
colours with aniline dyes, 
and then sew the borders 
on again. The green bor¬ 
der of the yellow hand¬ 
kerchief is opened (for 



Fig 1. 

Yellow handkerchief, green border. At 
corner held in left hand the diamond¬ 
shaped red one is tied on and pushed in 
through the hole in border all but the 
little green corner. 


232 


THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 



the border of each handkerchief must be, as is usual with silk 
handkerchiefs, of a double thickness) about half an inch from 
one corner. The diamond-shaped handkerchief is tied by one 
corner by means of a very small knot to the corner near open¬ 
ing in border of the yellow handkerchief with green border. 
This diamond-shaped one is now twisted in rope fashion and 
doubled, and by means of a penholder or pencil pushed into 
the opening of the green 
border of yellow hand- A 
kerchief until it is en¬ 
tirely inside the border 
except for its green 
corner, which takes the 
place of the knot, and 
thus- the yellow hand¬ 
kerchief when held up 
looks an ordinary un¬ 
prepared handkerchief, 
the small piece of the 
green border of the 
diamond-shaped red one which is exposed being the same 
colour as the border of the yellow one (Fig. i). 

A pull, which will be easily understood from the illustra¬ 
tion (Fig. 2). 

The strap is buckled round the left arm just above the 
elbow. The catgut end of the cord is passed across the 
back and down the right 
sleeve and the loop hooked 
over the cuff-link (Fig. 3) 
so as to be handy when 
required. The other end 
of the cord passes through 
a lady’s dress-eye sewn 
very strongly on to the 
back of trousers (Fig. 4) 
and terminates with the 
ring (C, in Fig. 2). 3 

Just inside the left-hand The catgut loop o ; er Hght cufr . link . 


D E 

Fig. 2. 

A, Strap with buckle to go round left arm. 

B, Lazy-pulley with guide to prevent the string 

running off pulley. 

C, Metal ring. 

D, Black silk cord. 

E, Loop of catgut about four inches long 

(part of violin E string does well). 






THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 


2 33 



trouser pocket a hook is 
end upwards. The length 
of the black silk cord must 
be so adjusted that when 
the coat is on and the catgut 
loop over the cuff-link, the 
ring at the other end rests 
against the eye at back 
of trousers (Fig. 4). This 
ensures perfect freedom of 
action, and is not likely to 
work out of position whilst 
performing other tricks. 


firmly sewn with the hook 


Fig. 4. 

Showing pull fixed. 


Presentation of Tripk. —The performer picks up the 
green and yellow handkerchiefs, and, showing them, says, 


“ I have here two small silk hand¬ 
kerchiefs—one green, one yellow. 
I will tie these two together—so,” 
taking care to tie the yellow corner 
of the green one to the small green 
corner of the red handkerchief 
which is inside the border of the 
yellow one, and then hold them 
up as in Fig. 5. 



Fig. 5. 

Showing the two handkerchiefs 
apparently knotted together. 
In reality the top handkerchief 
is knotted to one corner of 
the one concealed in its border, 
and the lower to the other 
corner of concealed handker¬ 
chief. 





234 THE joined handkerchiefs 


Proceed, “ I will now place these 
two handkerchiefs into this tum¬ 
bler.” Squeeze them up and place 
in tumbler, taking care that the 
audience can see well into your 
hands, to show that no change or 
palming has been effected (Fig. 6). 
Either place the glass upon your 
table in sight of the audience, or, 
better still if convenient, give it to 
someone to hold. 



Fig. 6. 

Placing in tumbler. 


As you return take the loop off the link and slip it over the 
thumb and first finger of right hand, so that as you face the 
audience the loop is in position, but cannot be seen. 

Then Say, “ I have here another 
small handkerchief—a red one this 
time.” A half turn to the left to 
pick up the red handkerchief from 
the table covers the left hand going 
under coat-tails and taking the ring 
at back of trousers and drawing it 
down and passing it on to the hook 
inside the left trouser pocket (Fig. j). 

This makes the cord taut. Now the 
handkerchief is picked up with the 
left hand and shown by one corner 
being placed in right hand and one 
held in left, as the handkerchief is Flg ' 7 ’ 

, . , . This shows the side which is 

held in big. I. away from audience. 





THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 


235 


Next, saying, “ I fold this 
handkerchief up so,” place 
corner held in left also in 
right, which folds the hand¬ 
kerchief in half. Repeat 
this twice, when the hand¬ 
kerchief will appear as in 
Fig. 8. 



Fig. 8. 

Handkerchief folded with loop just over 
the end in right hand. 


The loop being over the end of 
handkerchief, take the end in left 
hand and draw through until the 
loop is central (Fig. 9). Release 
both ends at the finish of this move¬ 
ment, so that the handkerchief is 
doubled over the loop and held in 
right hand. 



Fig. 9. 

The handkerchief pulled through 
loop and doubled over at centre. 





236 THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 


The left hand now picks up the 
glass cylinder from the table and 
shows it, the performer saying, “ I 
have here a glass tube, into which 
I place this handkerchief, so that 
you may see it the whole of the 
time.” The handkerchief is pushed 
into the centre of the cylinder by 
the first finger of right hand, and 
the first finger of left hand keeps it 
from going farther than the centre 
(Fig. io). 



Fig. 10. 

Handkerchief being pushed into 
cylinder. 


Bring the hands to position of 
Fig. ii. Asking the audience to 
keep a sharp look out upon the 
handkerchief in the tube, the per¬ 
former declares his intention of 
vanishing it in their full view and 
making it reappear in the glass 
upon the table with the other two 
handkerchiefs. 



Fig. 11. 

Handkerchief ready to be 
vanished. 




THE JOINED HANDKERCHIEFS 


2 37 


A sharp upward move¬ 
ment of the elbows causes 
the pull to draw the hand¬ 
kerchief out of the tube up 
the sleeve. Fig. 12 shows 
it just entering the sleeve, 

Fig. 12. 

Handkerchief being vanished up sleeve. 



and as the elbows are a little more 
extended the handkerchief quite dis¬ 
appears, and is drawn well up above 
the elbow (Fig. 13). In actual prac¬ 
tice the handkerchief goes so quickly 
that it is impossible for the eye to 
follow it, and the illusion is perfect. 


Fig. 13. 

The handkerchief gone. 



“ Now we will see if I have been 
successful in passing it into the 
glass,” says the performer, and in¬ 
stantly takes the two handkerchiefs 
from the tumbler, and pulling them 
sharply apart by their extreme 
corners and shaking them out, the 
concealed red one is drawn out of 
its hiding-place and appears as in 
Fig. 14, convincing the audience that 
it has actually tied itself between the 
other two. 



Fig. 14. 

The red handkerchief in centre 
of the yellow and green. 






. 










* 
































X 


























MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS 





THE CHINESE RINGS 


241 


THE CHINESE RINGS* 

A pretty trick in any part of a programme. Can be per¬ 
formed by gentleman or lady. It is specially recommended 
for ladies, as there is ample scope for grace of manner and 
movement. An easy trick to do , but one of the most difficult 
to do zvell. However, it certainly repays the practice required 
to display it gracefully, for well worked it is as interesting to 
those who know the secret as to the uninitiated ; indifferently 
performed it is interesting to nobody. The photographs are 
of the rings manipulated by Mdlle. Patrice. 

Time Occupied. —Twelve to fifteen minutes. 

Effect. —A number of separate steel or electro-plated rings 
are shown, examined by several members of the audience, 
and found to be quite solid rings, without any . joints or 
openings. The performer, nevertheless, proceeds to link 
them together, right under the eyes of members of the 
audience. Chains are formed, and rings linked and unlinked 
at a touch of the wand or a breath of a spectator upon the 
spot where they join. Finally the performer makes a 
number of figures with them. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Ten large steel or electro¬ 
plated rings.* Four are separate solid rings, two are linked 
together, three are linked together, one is a ring with an 
opening to allow of others being linked into it. Lay the 
rings in a heap upon your table as follows:—At the bottom 
the three rings, upon them the open ring (with opening 
towards back of table, so that when you come to pick up 
this ring you can do so with your finger and thumb over 
the opening, without so much as glancing down to find the 

* The dealers sell sets at from 5*. to 21*., but I believe only give eight rings, 
viz. two separate, two linked, three linked, and the open ring. Doubtless they 
would supply any number required of the separate rings, and I would recom¬ 
mend having not less than four separate rings, as the more of these that are 
handed round the less idea is conveyed of any of the rings being prepared. 

Q 


242 THE CHINESE RINGS 

spot), upon this place the two rings, and on top the four 
loose ones. 

Presentation of Trick. —Pick up all the rings in left 
hand, without disarranging the order you laid them in, and 
say, “ I have here a number of Zulu wedding rings. These 
rings are not worn round the bride’s finger, but round the 
bride’s neck. You see, a lady wearing one of these cannot 
easily run away. It may surprise you when I tell you that 
these rings are not silver; no, they are made of a mysterious 
amalgam of some of the most costly metals,” adding in 
a mock impressive manner, “ unknown to the most profound 
philosophers. Perhaps you would like to have a closer 
view of them.” Here hand one of the loose rings to 
someone, then another, and a third, and the fourth. These 
will be the four loose ones which were arranged on top, 
and will so be the first four as you now hold the bundle 
in left hand and take them one by one with the right to 
hand out. It is absolutely essential that you should take 
them naturally and readily, without any looking to see which 
you give, as the slightest suspicion of choosing which to give 
ruins the trick irrevocably. 

You now ask any gentleman who is examining one of the 
rings if he will assist you, and hand him a second ring, which 
you take from one of the other people who has satisfied 
himself there is no trick in the ring. Your assistant now 
has two loose rings, and there are two more in the audience, 
which will probably be passed from hand to hand, and 
everyone so assured of the genuineness of the rings whilst 
you are proceeding with the trick. Lay the rest upon your 
table, taking the next two rings (these are the two linked 
together), but do not show that they are joined, and swing 
them backwards and forwards, asking your assistant to do 
the same with his, adding, “Speaking of these rings being 
solid endless rings of metal reminds me of what I once 
heard a gentleman remark to a lady. He said, ‘ Do 
you know these rings remind me of my love for you— 
without any end.’ ‘ They are also like mine for you,’ replied 
the smart young woman, ‘ without any beginning.’ Now, sir, 


THE CHINESE RINGS 


243 


just swing as I do, and so allow one ring to pass through the 
other.” Let one of your rings fall; of course it will drop to 
a hanging position through the other as though you had 
just joined them. Your assistant, if he follows instructions 
literally, will drop one of his upon the floor, and so cause 
a laugh. Perhaps he will be vainly trying to push the one 
through the other. In any case walk over to him, picking up 
—with your finger and thumb concealing the opening—the 
open ring, which is the next on top of those upon the table, 
saying, “ Isn’t it simple? Cannot you manage it? Which is 
the one you have all the trouble with? Allow me to take 
your rings and you mine. Just hold these (hand him the two 
joined ones), and take them apart; you will find taking them 
apart ever so much easier.” 


Take his two loose ones, and join 
one of them on to your open ring, 
bringing them together as before, and 
swinging them just as you did the 
two joined ones, and allowing the 
loose ring to fall to hanging position. 
Pick up the second loose ring you 
took from assistant, swing it against 
the open ring, and as you slip it 
through the opening draw it up into 
position of Fig. 1. 


Walk to a lady or child in the audience, saying, “ These 
rings, when once joined, can only be taken apart by being 
kissed by a lady or touched by the magic wand. Would you 
mind kissing them apart for me?” Place the rings close 
below the lady’s mouth, and bring the finger and thumb 
holding the top ring close to the finger and thumb covering 
the opening in open ring, and slip off the top ring, at the same 
time making a sound as of kissing. Hand the loose ring to 



Fig. 1. 

(open ring is in centre.) 







244 


THE CHINESE RINGS 


the lady, and go with the other two to another member of 
the audience, saying, “ Perhaps you will blow these apart,” 
and disjoin them as before. 

Go back to your table with the open ring in hand and lay 
it down, picking up at the same time the three joined rings, 
but without showing they are joined. Make a swinging 
movement or two with them as though you were joining 
them as you did the others, and allow first one to fall then 
the second, creating the impression 
of having joined them into a string 
of three. Hang them over your left 
arm at the elbow and go to the as¬ 
sistant and take the two joined rings 
he is holding, pick up your open ring, 
join on (always making the same 
swinging movement with the rings, 
as though necessary to the joining). 

This gives you two sets of three, one 
over the left arm and one in the 
right hand, the open ring being at the 
top of this latter set. Slide the left- 
hand set from elbow into hand, bring¬ 
ing them to position in Fig. 2. 


Bring the hands together, swing 
the two sets, and slip the top ring 
of left-hand set through the open 
ring at top of right-hand set; at 
the same time, with a quick move¬ 
ment of left hand, catching the 
second ring of left set and drawing 
it up to position of Fig. 3, saying, 

“ A Zulu watch-chain.” 

Fig. 3. 

A ZULU WATCH-CHAIN. 






THE CHINESE RINGS 


245 


Take again the top ring and, swinging the two sets, 
disjoin them, and slip the left-hand set over arm, as before. 
Swing and disjoin the open ring from the others in right 
hand chain ; place these on table, retaining the open ring, and 
join it to the top ring of the three fixed ones from left arm. 
This gives you a chain of four. 


Say, “ I will now make a few figures 
with these rings. My first will be a 
stirrup.” 

To make this give the top ring a sharp 
twist to the left, which will swing all the 
others round if they are hanging clear 
of your body. When they have swung 
round as far as they will go, to position 
of Fig. 4, 



Fig. 4. 


take up the bottom ring with left hand 
and slip it through the open ring, at the 
same instant giving a jerk forward to all 
the rings, so that they fall into the form 
of a stirrup (Fig. 5). 



Fig. 5. 








246 


THE CHINESE RINGS 


Draw up the bottom ring which you 
last slipped through the open ring and 
disjoin it, so reverting to the straight 
chain of four, and announce, “ My next 
will be a garden seat.” 

Bring up the bottom ring again and 
pass it through the open ring, the latter 
being straight and the bottom ring at a 
right angle to it. They will now fall into 
the position of Fig. 6 if the left hand 
pushes forward the part shown in the 
illustration, thus making as near a repre¬ 
sentation of a seat as is well possible 
with rings. 



Fig. 6. 

A GARDEN SEAT 


Announce, “ My next will be a 
school globe.” Whilst you speak, 
let go with left hand and swing the 
rings forward by right, still holding 
the finger and thumb over the 
open ring. At the moment that 
the lowest ring swings forward catch 
hold of the bottom part of it and 
bring it up sharply to the right 
hand, grasping it and the open ring 
together, thus forming Fig. 7. Give 
the wrist a sharp turn or two in 
either direction, so making the 
figure appear more globe-like than 
if held still. 



Fig. 7. 

A SCHOOL GLOBE. 


The grasp of the right hand on the rings must be very 
firm , or the succeeding figures will fall to pieces. Announce 
the next as “a flower” You may call it “a buttercup,” 
“daisy,” or what you will, or simply “a flower.” 



THE CHINESE RINGS 


247 



To make this, with fingers of left hand press apart the 
two rings which meet at the top of the “globe” just under A. 
When you have pressed them about five inches apart remove 
the left hand, and you will find that by gradually relaxing the 
grip of right hand—very gradually 
it must be—the rings will open 
themselves out to position of 
Fig. 8. 

Whilst the rings are opening 
you say, “Notice the bud opening. 

I think it must be the heat of the 
weather makes the flower expand ; 
anyhow, whether or not , the bud 
always opens.” 

Relax the grip gradually until 
the rings bend right back towards 
your arm, but be most careful not 
to lose control of them, as if you do 
the whole figure falls to pieces. 


Fig. 8. 

THE FLOWER OPEN.* 


Now announce, “The next figure 
will be a portrait frame for four 
photographs.” 

Give the hand a sharp jerk back¬ 
wards (practice will accustom one to 
know how sharp a jerk), and the 
rings will come to position of Fig. 9. 



Fig. 9. 

A PORTRAIT FRAME. 


In this picture Mdlle. Patrice rested the elbow upon a table, owing to the 
difficulty of keeping the rings quite still, the strain upon the right hand, owing to 
the firm grip necessary, being so great. In performing of course the arm is held 
up in the ordinary way, not rested as in this photo. 


248 


THE CHINESE KINGS 


You then say, “My last figure 
will be the ace—the ace of clubs,” 
and as you speak sharply pull 
over the top ring of the portrait 
frame, and it will fall into the 
position of Fig. 10. This, which 
appears to be the most quickly 
made and perhaps the most 
intricate of the figures, is one of 
Mdlle. Patrice’s ideas, and has 
not previously been shown or 
explained by anyone. 

Now quickly unhook the bottom ring of chain, which has 
remained linked into the open ring since you hooked it there 
to make the “ garden seat.” 

Slip off the three fixed rings, and collect all your rings 
from audience and the two fixed ones from your table, all the 
while jumbling the lot about between your two hands, 
making a considerable clatter; in reality be passing all the 
rings, fixed and loose, one after the other through the open 
ring, finally giving them a spin round as they hang from the 
open ring. Lay them aside and proceed to next trick. 



Fig. 10. 

THE ACE OF CLUBS. 



COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 


249 


COIN IN CARD, PAPER IN CANDLE TRICK. 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MDLLE. PATRICE. 

A very effective trick, but not an easy one, for it requires 
considerable address and self-possession to carry out satis¬ 
factorily. Suits lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied. —About fifteen minutes. 

Effect —The performer asks someone to choose a card 
from a pack, and to tell the name of the card chosen. The 
performer then takes the card and stands it at the foot of 
a candlestick upon his table, and lights the candle. Next a 
shilling is borrowed, and marked with a knife by the lender. 
A slip of paper is written upon by another of the company 
for the purpose of identification. The paper is torn in half, 
the writer retaining one half and the performer taking the 
other half and wrapping the shilling in it. The shilling and 
the paper round it are held into the flame of the candle and 
disappear with a bright flash. The coin is found to have 
passed into the card at base of candlestick, and the little 
piece of paper is found in the centre of whichever piece of 
the candle, when it is cut in pieces, that the audience desires. 
On matching the paper with the other half, retained by the 
writer, it is proved to be the actual half of it. 

Requisites and Preparation. — A candle in candlestick; 
a card with a coin in it (this card is prepared by splitting it 
at one end, between the layers of the cardboard of which 
the playing-card consists. By pushing the blade of a table- 
knife into the opening and gradually working it in to about 
the centre of card, it allows of a marked shilling being 
slipped to centre of card, when the opening in the edge is 
gummed up and pressed till dry); a slip of writing-paper 
about 4 in. by 2 in.; a piece of lightning-paper ; a pack 


250 COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 

of cards ; a pencil; box of matches ; a knife ; a large plate ; 
a small plate; a piece of candle one-third the length of that 
in the candlestick. 

The centre of this piece is hollowed out with the small 
blade of a penknife for a distance of about an inch and a 
half. 

The small piece of lightning - paper is screwed up as 
though a shilling were wrapped in it, and is kept in right 
pocket of waistcoat; a lady conceals it in a pocket in belt 
of dress or elsewhere easy of access. 

The hollowed piece of candle is kept in left pochette. 


The card with the shilling in it 
is laid upon the top of the pack, 
and a duplicate one of the same 
suit and value is laid at bottom of 
pack upon the table. The other 
things are all upon the table, as 
in Fig. i. 



Fig. 1. 

Arrangement of table. 

Presentation of Trick. —The performer commences by 
saying, “ This is not a card trick, although a pack of cards is 
used for the purpose of the illusion.” One of the audience 
is requested to select a card from the pack, and the duplicate 
of the one with the shilling in it is forced on him. The 
person choosing the card is asked to say what the card is 
that has been drawn, and to show it. Remarking that “ it 
had better be placed so that it may be seen by everybody in 
the audience, ’- he takes the card in the right hand and in 
turning to the table exchanges it, by means of “ the change,” 
for the prepared card, which is on the top of the pack in 
left hand. 


COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 


251 


Continuing the movement to¬ 
wards table, say, “ I will place it 
here, so that every person may 
watch it,” standing the prepared 
card at the base of the candlestick, 
as in Fig. 2. 


Fig. 2. 

Offering choice of pieces of candle, 
and showing where to stand card 
against candlestick. 

Now desire the person who chose the card to watch it, 
adding, “If you should see an invisible hand come from 
under the table and touch the card, please call me; or 
perhaps I had better throw a little light upon the subject.” 
Light candle. “ Now you can see the card more distinctly.” 

Borrow from another of the audience a shilling, and ask 
that the lender will “ mark it with a knife distinctly, so that 
it may be easily identified,” and desire him to retain the 
shilling for the time being. 

Go to the table and bring back the slip of writing-paper, 
and request yet another of the audience to write something 
upon the paper—the name of a person or place, or a quota¬ 
tion from one of the poets, the object being to be able to 
identify the paper. This done, ask him to read aloud what 
he has written ; this will cause some merriment. Then ask 
him to tear the paper into halves, retaining one half and 
giving you the other. 

Whilst he is doing this, take unseen from waistcoat pocket 
the small screwed-up lightning-paper, and conceal it at the 
first joints of second and third fingers of right hand. Walk¬ 
ing to the person (all three of the assistants—the card 
chooser, the shilling lender, and the writer on the paper— 
should be sitting well away from each other in different parts 



252 COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 

of the room if possible) who has the marked shilling, place 
the half of the written-on paper over the lightning-paper, so 
concealing it in right hand, and desire him to place the 
shilling on to the paper. 

With the fingers of the right hand only , wrap the paper 
round the shilling, and push 
up the lightning-paper packet 
behind, so that only one 
packet is seen (Fig. 3); and, 
going to the table, tap the 
packet on the small plate, to 
show “ the shilling is still 
there.” Then with the thumb 
of right hand pull down the 
paper containing the shilling 
in joints of fingers, and leave 
the lightning-paper packet in 
view (Fig. 3). Hold it in 
front of the candle, saying, “ Do you see your shilling, sir ? ” 
At the same time ignite the lightning-paper in the flame of 
candle and throw it in the air, where it will flash and dis¬ 
appear, leaving no ashes. Say, “Your shilling is gone, sir; 
you will never see it again.” Place your hands behind back 
quickly, undoing the paper from shilling and rolling it 
cigarette fashion ; take the prepared piece of candle from 
left pochette and push the rolled paper into the hollowed 
end. The shilling is dropped into right pochette, and the 
prepared candle, with the piece of paper now in it, is re¬ 
turned to left pochette. “Well, the fact is,” you continue, 
“ the moment the paper touched the flame of the candle the 
piece of paper passed into the candle, and at the same 
moment the shilling slid down the candle and passed inside 
the card. Now which would you like to see first, the paper 
or the shilling?” The lender of the shilling probably says, 
“ Let me have my shilling first ” ; but you reply, “ As we saw 
the paper last, perhaps it would be as well if we now saw the 
paper first, because the shilling is safe in the card, which this 
lady ” (looking towards any lady) “ is watching.” 



Fig. 3. 

Changing the lightning-paper for the 
paper with shilling in. 


COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 


253 


Blow out the candle and take it from the candlestick, 
handing it to one of the audience, saying, “ Do you believe 
the paper is in the candle?” “No,” is the probable reply. 
Lay the candle on the large plate, cut the burnt end off, and 
divide the candle into three pieces, each to correspond in 
size with the prepared piece .you have in pochette. Say, 
“ There are three pieces ; in whichever piece of this candle 
you choose the piece of paper shall be found.” Whilst 
speaking the prepared candle, with paper in it, is procured 
unseen from the left pochette, and transferred to the right 
hand behind performer’s back. A slight bow forward towards 
person who is asked to choose the piece of candle quite 
covers the two hands going to back of body. 

The knife is then taken from the table, and the person 
who wrote on the paper selects one of the pieces of candle. 


This is picked up with left hand, 
and the “ tourniquet ” pass is made 
(Fig. 4), and the prepared piece of 
candle is laid on the small plate. 
Now in the act of picking up the 
small plate the chosen piece of 
candle is dropped into the servante 
at back of table. 



Fig. 4. 

Changing pieces of candle 
Exposed view. 


The person is again asked if he believes the paper is in 
the candle. Again he replies in the negative. The performer 
cuts the candle away, covering the opening in the opposite 
end with the fingers of left hand, and permits the person to 
pull out the paper himself. Upon opening it, it is discovered 
to be the identical piece upon which he had written, and 
matches the piece that he had retained. 


254 COIN, CARD, AND CANDLE 

The performer proceeds, “ Now, sir, do you believe the 
shilling is in the card ? ” He, of course, is more ready to 
believe now that the paper has been produced from the 
candle. The card is tapped with the wand to prove that 
your statement is correct, and the card handed to some other 
person, who is requested to return the shilling without 
destroying the card. This, of course, is impossible; so he 
is asked to tear the card across, and to return the shilling, 
having satisfied himself that the shilling is marked; of 
course, he has never seen the mark on the actual shilling, 
which is at that moment taken from the right pochette. 
Taking the duplicate shilling in left hand, make the “tourni¬ 
quet ” pass, and hand the owner his marked shilling, with a 
request that he will say if that was the shilling he lent you. 
The applause is sure to follow. The performer bows his 
acknowledgments and retires, “bearing his blushing honours 
thick upon him.” 


THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


255 


THE MUTILATED PARASOL 

FRANK KENNARD’S METHOD. 

A showy trick that always amuses and puzzles the 
spectators. It is more suitable for a man than a lady. 

Time Occupied. —Twelve to fifteen minutes. 

Effect. —A borrowed handkerchief is given to a lady to 
hold, and changes in her hand to a long strip which is then 
given to a gentleman to squeeze, and on being returned 
is found to be torn into small pieces. These are dropped 
into a paper bag made before the audience from a sheet 
of foolscap, and given to someone to hold. A sheet of brown 
paper is now unrolled, a parasol taken out, and the paper 
shown empty. The parasol is rolled up again, the end being 
left all the time in view. The gentleman who holds the bag 
in his hand is now asked to take the wrapped-up parasol 
upon his lap. At his word of command the pieces leave the 
bag, which on being opened is found to contain the cover 
of the parasol in their place. The parasol is then taken out 
of the brown paper, and is found to consist of bare frame¬ 
work only, with one of the small pieces of handkerchief 
dangling from the end of each rib. The cover is put on to 
the frame, and the parasol replaced in the brown paper. 
When unrolled a moment later it is quite restored, with the 
borrowed handkerchief inside it. 

Requisites and Preparation. — Two parasols exactly 
alike. Those with plain cane sticks and no handles are 
quite good enough. The covers should be made with the 
divisions alternately red and white, or any other very flaring 
combination of thin surah or China silk. The cover is 
removed from one, leaving the ribs bare, and to the end 
of each rib is stitched a small piece of cambric about three 
inches square. 

A full-sized sheet (known to stationers as “doubleelephant”) 


256 THE MUTILATED PARASOL 

of brown paper of good stout quality, prepared by having 
another piece about ten inches wide pasted by its edges right 
across at the back at one end, makes a tube into which the 
bare frame is pushed so that the handle end is about half an 
inch from the right-hand side of paper when held open to 
audience. In order to know which is the opening to tube 
when paper is rolled, paste a strip of white paper along the 
inside edge of tube. The perfect parasol is now rolled in the 
paper, care being taken to place the handle towards the same 
end as that of the concealed one. In rolling before the 
audience take care not to turn the paper with edges towards 
spectators until rolled up. 

Two pieces of foolscap pasted together by three of their 
edges, the top being left open. 

A strip of fine calico three inches wide and two yards long. 

Eight pieces of linen about three inches square. 

The loose parasol cover, folded as small as possible, is 
placed just inside waistcoat at left of centre. It is as well to 
have a small pocket made for it, which keeps it in exact, 
position. 

The two parasols rolled in the brown paper are placed 
handle ends downward leaning against the wall or a piece 
of furniture behind the performer. The prepared foolscap- 
sheet lies on a table to his left. The eight pieces of linen 
rolled up into a small bundle are placed in right pocket. 
The long strip rolled up is palmed in right hand, holding 
wand to cover it. 

Presentation of Trick. —Address your audience : “ For this 
experiment I must borrow a few pocket-handkerchiefs.” 
Walk amongst them for this purpose, with patter founded 
upon “ He who goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing. It is my 
experience that the lender generally does the greater part of 
the sorrowing, but I hope it will not be so in this case.” 

Having obtained three or four handkerchiefs, note one of 
medium size and place it on the others, so that it will 
probably be chosen. Offer them for selection to a lady at 
some little distance from the lender, and take the handker- 


THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


257 


chief she chooses with your left hand, saying, “ This lady 
has decided, so I will place the others on one side,” and 
put them in a prominent place. “ May I do as I wish with 
this handkerchief?” 

Put wand under left arm and spread the chosen handker¬ 
chief over the strip which you have had all the while in your 
right hand, and say, “ I will roll this one up, making it 
smaller and smaller, until”—here turn it over so that the 
concealed strip is on top—“you see it gradually diminishes 
in size. In fact”—put strip into left hand, taking wand in 
right to cover the palmed handkerchief—“ I can almost 
conceal it in my hand,” pointing with wand to the strip in 
left hand. 


Walk to a lady on your right, and 
hand her the strip, saying, “ I will 
ask a lady to hold this.” As you 
do so vest the handkerchief (Fig. 1). 



Fig. 1. 

Vesting handkerchief. This is 
done at the instant of asking 
thetadytohold handkerchief. 


R 



258 THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


“Thank you, madam. Kindly 
close your fingers over it and hold 
it a little higher” (Fig. 2). As you 
say this make an upward motion 
of the wand with left hand (Fig. 2) ; 
this covers the right hand going to 
pocket to secure the packet of 
pieces. 



Fig. 2 . 

Upward motion with wand when 
asking lady to “ hold it higher” 
covers the right hand going to 
pocket. 


“Thank you. Can you quite manage to conceal it? No? 
Ah! you see, madam, your hand is so small, but I am afraid 
you are pinching it very tightly, and it really will not bear 
the slightest pressure. Permit me.” Saying this you take 
it from the lady and let the strip unroll. “Oh dear, madam, 
what have you done? I feared the pressure might do mis¬ 
chief, but I had no idea of the extent of the damage.” 
Stretch out strip with wand as you speak, then lay it across 
the wand and fold in half, and then in half again. Place 
wand under left arm, holding strip in left hand. Continue 
folding strip and when small enough pretend to place it in 
left hand, really retaining it in right, and place the packet of 
pieces in the left. 

Walk to right, and hand to gentleman the packet with left 
hand, the right hand meanwhile pocketing the strip. Now, 
sir, I want you to close both hands—so—and roll them round 
and round—so”—suiting the action to the word. When he 
has done this, add, “ I am quite sure this lady’s handkerchief 
will be restored.” 



THE MUTILATED PARASOI 


259 


Take back from gentleman the 
packet and pull out one piece 
(Fig- 3 )- “Why, here is a small 
piece of it”—hang it on a chair- 
back — “ another, and another. 
Why, if we go on like this we shall 
have a handkerchief for every day 
of the week.” 



Take out one piece. 


Hang all the pieces upon the chair. “ This is a nice hand¬ 
kerchief indeed, sir. Perhaps, madam, you will accept your 
handkerchief back in pieces ; I will wrap it up for you.” 
Take sheet of prepared foolscap from table, carelessly turn 
it round, showing both sides of it, remarking, “ I have here 
a sheet of foolscap which you can see is free from deception ” 
(Fig. 4). Showing sheet of foolscap gives opportunity to 
get parasol cover from waistcoat. The foolscap is rolled 
into a bag with the parasol cover inside it (Fig. 5). 



Fig. 4. 

A back view of Fig. 5 showing the cover 
being put unseen into the bag as it is 
rolled up. 


Fig. 5. 

The bow, holding paper as here 
shown, covers the taking of 
parasol cover. 



26o THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


Then secretly open the double 
compartment of the paper (Tig. 6) 
and show the bag apparently empty, 
and continue, “That will do nicely. 



Fig. 6. 

Shows the double compart¬ 
ment half opened. When 
completely open the cover of 
parasol is quite hidden. 


“Now I will place what was once a handkerchief into it. 
One—two — three—four — five—six—seven—eight pieces,” 
placing each piece one by one off the chair-back into the bag; 
then asking a gentleman to hold it, say, “ Misfortunes some¬ 
times rain upon me, still I have something here which will 
protect me.” 


Pick up the brown paper roll and 
allow it to unroll itself; catch the 
parasol handle in right hand just as 
in Fig. 7, and say, “ Fancy walking 
down Regent Street with this over 
your shoulder! ” 



Fig. 7. 

Unrolling paper and taking 
parasol. 








THE MUTILATED PARASOL 261 


Open the parasol and hold it as 
in Fig. 8, showing both hands 
empty, but do not verbally draw 
attention to the hands being empty. 



Fig. 8. 

Parasol held over shoulder, 
showing hands empty. 


Take the parasol in left hand, 
pointing cover to audience, and 
close it. The right hand mean¬ 
while takes the borrowed hand¬ 
kerchief from the waistcoat (Fig. 9) 
and drops it unseen into the parasol 
as it closes, saying, “ I must not 
damage this very valuable parasol, 
so I will put it away again.” 



Fig. 9. 

In closing umbrella get borrowed 
handkerchief from waistcoat. 



262 


THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


The left hand rolling up the silk 
of parasol prevents the handker¬ 
chief from falling out (Fig. 10). 



Fig. 10. 

The left hand rolls up parasol 
and prevents the handker¬ 
chief from falling out. 


Place it along the end of the 
brown paper, taking care that the 
stick is towards the same end as 
that of the other parasol already 
in the paper, and make one turn 
round of the paper (Fig. 11). 



Fig. 11. 

Showing the commencement of 
rolling up the parasol. 




THE MUTILATED PARASOL 


263 


This done, turn the other side of 
the brown paper to the front (Fig. 
12), as though for greater convenience 
in rolling it, and pulling out the stick 
of the second parasol (with the bare 
ribs) an inch or two, say, “ I keep a 
little piece of it out—so (Fig. 12). 


Fig. 12. 

Showingthe paperturned round 
after one roll is made, and the 
stick of the second parasol 
pulled out an inch or two. 


“ Now, sir, may I trouble you just 
to bring the paper bag here ? 
Thank you. Will you take a seat? 
I want you to hold the bag with 
the pieces in your right hand, and to 
lay my parasol across your knees 

(Fig. 13). 




Fig. 13. 

Bag in assistant’s right hand and 
brown roll across his knees. 



264 THE MUTILATED PARASOL 

Now my trick is to restore the pieces of the handkerchief 
which a moment ago you saw me place into the paper bag, 
and pass them right through the brown paper. If you desire 
to see them go you must keep one eye on the paper bag, 
one eye on the lady who so kindly lent the handkerchief, 
and the other on me. Now, sir — one, two, three—go! 
Thank you.” 


Unroll the paper bag and take out 
the parasol cover (the pieces are in 
the double compartment of the paper), 
saying, “You see the pieces have gone. 
Why, whatever is this? Good gracious, 
it is the top of my parasol! ” (Fig. 14). 


Fig. 14. 

“Good gracious, it is the top of 
my parasol I ” 



Put the foolscap paper on the 
table, and pull the second parasol 
from paper, open it and put it into 
left hand of assistant (Fig. 15), ex¬ 
claiming, “Well, that’s a nice hand¬ 
kerchief ; and my beautiful parasol! 
What shall I do ? ” 



Fig. 15. 

Put frame into assistant's left 
hand. 





THE MUTILATED PARASOL 265 

Put the cover over top of parasol frame and say, “ Now 
I have put the cover on the frame, sir; if you will hold 
it I will return the other handkerchiefs, and leave you 
to finish the trick” Return the handkerchiefs, except of 
course the one which is in the parasol. Address the lady 
whose handkerchief is not returned, “Ah, madam, I must 
apologise to you, but this gentleman ”—pointing to assistant 
—“will put everything right. No! you cannot? Well, per¬ 
haps you will assist me and we will see what can be done.” 

Shut up the frame with cover on. “We will for a moment 
imagine we are Messrs. Maskelyne and Cooke. I’ll be Mr. 
Cooke, who will you be—Mr. Cooke too? No, that won’t do; 
too many cooks spoil the broth. I won’t trouble you to undo 
it,” and whilst saying this push the parasol into the roll, making 
sure to put it into the compartment which has the white paper 
lining. “This is a very cunning umbrella—one of Fox’s. 
Now, sir, we shall have one more attempt, and if this fails 
I am afraid I shall have to ask you to settle matters with 
this lady. You would rather leave that to me. Very well, 
but first I will see what I can do. Hey, presto! Thank 
you.” Whilst speaking unroll the brown paper and take out 
parasol, “ Here’s my umbrella all right, anyhow. Now for 
the lady’s handkerchief. Ah, here it is just under one of the 
ribs and quite restored. Thank you, madam, for your hand¬ 
kerchief, which has been in strange company, and which even 
when I return it is alone (a loan).” 


266 


THE FLAG TRICK 


THE FLAG TRICK* 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MDLLE. PATRICE. 

This trick is known also as “The Congress of Nations,” 
“ The Multiplying Flags,” etc., and is worked in many 
different ways. The method given here is used by Mdlle. 
Patrice in her drawing-room entertainments. It forms an 
excellent opening or finishing trick in a performance, and is 
suitable for lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied. —Five minutes. 

Effect. —Three small pieces of tissue paper—red, white, 
and blue—are handed to the audience, then taken by the 
performer and squeezed up in his hands until they disappear, 
and in their place come hundreds of tiny red, white, and blue 
flags. These are all distributed except one. From this last 
small flag the squeezed-up ball of tissue papers originally shown 
is recovered. These are unfolded, and again squeezed up, 
when more of the tiny flags are produced, and most of them 
are handed round. From a few left in the hand a number 
of silk flags of different nations are now produced, each 
about a foot long, and from the last of these a large Union 
Jack (or national flag of the particular country in which the 
performance is being given) is evolved. 

Requisites and Preparation. —Three pieces of tissue 
paper about eight or nine inches square—one pink, one light 
blue, and one white. 

About one gross (144) of tissue paper flags of these 
colours, mixed. These flags can be bought ready made at 
trifling cost, or the performer may make them by cutting 
tissue paper into pieces two inches wide by four inches long 
with pointed ends, and gumming these on to bristles. 

A set of thin silk flags, about twelve inches by eight inches, 
of different countries. About a dozen of the best-known 
nations is a good number to provide. 


THE FLAG TRICK 267 

A very large thin silk Union Jack (or other country’s flag) 
about six feet by four feet. 

The smallest flags are rolled up into two bundles, the flags 
being placed regularly one on another in a heap, and then 
all the flag parts rolled with a covering piece of tissue paper 
tightly round the sticks so as to make the smallest parcel 
possible. The colour of the tissue paper the bundles are 
rolled in is black for a gentleman, and for a lady performer as 
nearly a match to the colour of dress worn as is convenient. 

A gentleman runs two long black pins point upwards 
through the cloth of his coat behind the lapel on either side. 
On to the points of these pins are hung the two bundles 
of flags by simply allowing the point of pin to run through 
the tissue paper wrappings. The coat lapels entirely conceal 
the two packets which are fixed thus behind them. 

The 12-inch silk flags are rolled up one at a time into 
the smallest possible space and made into two bundles, with 
six flags in each, held together ready for palming by light 
elastic bands. These are placed one in each side pocket of 
the tails of coat. The very large silk flag is rolled up as 
compactly as possible, also with an elastic band to keep 
it from springing undone, and is placed in the left tail-coat 
pocket or upon the servante at back of table or chair. 

In case of a lady the two small bundles of flags may 
be fastened as above described, if she wears a dress with 
revers on the bodice, the revers taking the place of the lapels 
of the gentleman’s coat. If she wears evening dress the 
bundles may be slipped into the bosom, one on each side 
of the chest, the stick end of the bundle being just level 
or above the edge of the dress, so that the thumb and first 
finger can under cover of taking back the paper after 
examination, grasp the exposed point of the bundle and, 
unnoticed, draw it out. There is generally lace or some soft 
edging, such as chiffon, round an evening gown, with which 
the exposed tip of the bundle, wrapped in coloured tissue 
to match the dress or lace, mingles, and is quite unseen. 

The second-sized flags can go into the two pockets at the 
back of skirt. 


268 


THE FLAG TRICK 


The large flag a lady should always take from a servante , 
either at back of table or a chair. 

There is an alternative arrangement as to the small-sized 
flag bundles, which I recommend for both gentlemen and 
ladies. It is to place one bundle behind coat lapel, or revers 
of dress, or in bosom, as the case may be, and to lay the other 
(wrapped in tissue of the same colour as the cloth of table 
used) upon the table, placing in front of it a coloured silk 
handkerchief apparently loosely thrown down for use in some 
other experiment. Should any in the audience have an ink¬ 
ling as to how the first production was done, they will, on 
hearing more are to be made, look for them from a similar 
source, and a different method employed the second time will 
disarm the first suspicion. 

Presentation of Trick. —Pick up the three pieces of tissue 
paper and say, “ I would like to draw your attention to these 
three little pieces of paper—one red, one white, one blue. I 
have nothing up my sleeves—except my arms. You are quite 
right (turning as though a remark to that effect had reached 
you), I always keep them there. I really cannot avoid that. 

^ - ^ These small pieces of tissue paper 

I shall be pleased to hand you for 
inspection; you will find them 
quite unprepared, and as free from 
deception as—anyone here pre¬ 
sent.” As you hand to one and 
another say, “ Perhaps you will 
look at one,” adding to a third, 
“And will you take this little piece 
of white?—emblem of all that is 
innocent.” 

Now take back the piece first 
given, saying, “ I trust you are satis¬ 
fied that it is only a little piece of 
paper without preparation. Thank 
Fig. 1 . you, and may I have yours?” (tak- 

Handing the pieces. The right hand ing the second piece and placing it 

shows how to grasp the paper , - 7 & 

when taking back. over the first, and holding them 




THE FLAG TRICK 


269 




as in Fig. 1, leaving the first finger and thumb free to grasp 
your first bundle of flags). “ Thank you, and the little piece 

of white ? ” As you stretch out 
your left hand to take the white 
piece your right with a natural 
movement goes towards the lapel 
of coat or re vers of dress (Fig. 2), 
and the finger and thumb grasp 
the bundle of flags which comes 
away behind the two pieces of 
tissue paper, and the left hand 
brings to them the third piece of 
tissue. The left hand, held quite 
open with the empty palm visible, 
now grasps the three pieces of 
paper with the bundle behind 
them, squeezing the papers a little 

Right hand takes the flags from revers round the bundle at the bottom, 
of dress or lapel of gentleman’s coat. and yQU sayj « This y^fe exper i_ 

ment I have entitled, ‘The Flags of All Nations,’ for I shall 
now squeeze these little pieces of paper until they become 

‘ small by degrees and beauti¬ 
fully less,’ and I have in their 
place hundreds of tiny flags.” 
As you speak bring up your right 
hand to the papers in your left; 
in doing this take care that the 
audience have an opportunity to 
see that your right hand is 
empty as it comes up, but do 
not force this on their notice. 
Squeeze the three pieces of tissue 
paper into a ball and palm it in 
right hand, at the same time 
with the fingers of both hands 
split the paper covering of the 
Fj 3 bundle of flags, so that they 

The flags bursting out. burst OUt as in Fig. 3. 


2 JO 


THE FLAG TRICK 


Take the flags in your left hand by the sticks, and walk 
amongst your audience, scattering them right and left until 

there is only one left; then turn 
sharply to someone to whom 
you have not handed any, saying, 
“ Oh, I am sorry I have not made 
quite enough; I have not given 
you any, have I ? ” Point with 
open right hand to the one re¬ 
maining flag, and take from it the 
squeezed bundle of the tissue 
papers which you hold palmed in 
right hand, adding as you do so, 
“ Never mind, so long as I have 
one flag left I can take from it the 
little pieces of paper, and so long 
as I have these I can make just 
as many flags as I desire” (Fig. 
4). Unfold the pieces of paper, 
saying, “Yes, here we have the 
little piece of red, and here the blue, and here the white.” 
As you unfold the papers lay the first upon the edge of 
your table just over the handkerchief which lies in front 
of your second bundle, then the second upon it. Now, 
as you unfold the third piece, pick up with the left hand 
the two pieces from the table, bringing up behind them 
the bundle of flags; bring over the third piece in the right 
hand to those in the left and say, “ I have only to squeeze 
these little pieces of paper as before, and I have hundreds of 
other little flags.” If both bundles were behind the lapels of 
coat, or in lady’s chest, they must be obtained just as the first 
ones were. When the two pieces are picked up from table 
the left hand must go with them to chest or lapel, and take 
the bundle, whilst right brings to them the third piece. I 
strongly recommend the second set to be taken whenever 
convenient from the table. 



Fig. 4. 



THE FLAG TRICK 


27 



Fig. 5. 



Allow a few of this second set of 
flags to fall by shaking them from 
the bunch in the right hand, and 
walking with the right side to 
audience the left hand goes to 
left tail pocket, or in lady’s case 
to left back pocket of skirt, and 
palms one of the sets of second- 
size silk flags, and brings them up 
to the bunch of flags in right. 
Transferring them to left hand, the 
right works out the silk flags one 
by one, and places them about on 
a chair-back, lampshade, or the 
table, to make as much show as 
possible (Fig. 5). This gives an 
excuse for moving about. In walking back to your table, 
when your left side is to audience, the right hand takes 

from right coat-tail or skirt 
pocket the second set of silk 
flags, palming and taking them 
to the bunch in left hand, and 
produces them one by one. As 
the last of these is shown a gentle¬ 
man takes the largest flag from 
pocket by left hand, whilst right 
of body is to audience, and 
brings it up to the bunch of 
flags, which are now let fall, 
each hand holding a corner of 
the big flag, which is shaken out 
with a jerk and flutters down, 
almost concealing the performer 
(Fig. 6). 

A lady when taking out the 
last of the smaller silk flags 
should pass the table so as to 
allow her left hand to take the 


Fig. 6. 



272 


THE FLAG TRICK 


flag from the servante at its back, under cover of her body, and 
then bring it up and shake out just as described above. 

How to fold the flag with two corners ready to be taken 
instantly, and so arranged that it unrolls quickly and shows 
its full size, cannot well be described, but a few trials will 
enable anyone to do this. 

The effect of the finish of this trick is quite lost if the flag 
does not unroll at once and of itself. 


A RING PASSED ON TO STICK 273 


A RING PASSED ON TO STICK OR WAND WHILST 
BOTH ENDS ARE HELD BY SPECTATOR. 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHARLES BERTRAM. 

A very popular trick with the Fakirs throughout India, and 
an excellent little drawing-room trick for gentleman or lady. 

Time Occupied. —Two or three minutes. 

Effect.— A ring is borrowed, and one of the company is 
asked to hold it. The performer places a handkerchief over 
it, and the assistant holds it through the handkerchief. A 
wand is placed under the handkerchief, and the assistant holds 
an end of this in each hand, the performer now holding the 
ring through the handkerchief. This is sharply jerked away, 
disclosing the ring round the centre of the wand, though the 
assistant has not removed his hold of either end. 

Requisites and Preparation.— A wand or stick. A bor¬ 
rowed ring. A large silk handkerchief, with a ring sewn into 
one corner of its border. 

Presentation of Trick. 

—The performer borrows 
a ring, and asks someone 
to assist him by holding 
the ring. He shakes out 
the handkerchief, and says, 
taking the ring from the 
assistant (Fig. 1), “ I wrap 
the ring in the handker¬ 
chief—so.” 



S 


274 A RING PASSED ON TO STICK 

Passing the right hand 
with the ring under the 
handkerchief, he takes up 
the bottom corner in which 
the duplicate ring is sewn, 
and holds it with his left 
fingers through the hand¬ 
kerchief, asking the assist¬ 
ant to hold what he thinks 
is the borrowed ring with 
the finger and thumb of 
his right hand (Fig. 2). 

The performer palms the 
real ring in his right hand. 

Taking the wand in his left, 
he slips the borrowed ring 
noiselessly on to the middle 
of it under cover of the 
handkerchief held by the 
assistant*. He then takes be¬ 
tween first fingerand thumb 
of left hand the ring held 
by assistant, and requests 
him to hold the wand at 
the extremities, one in 
each hand (Fig. 3). Next 
he takes one of the hang¬ 
ing corners of the hand¬ 
kerchief in his right hand, 
and with a sharp jerk re¬ 
leases the duplicate ring, 
and the borrowed ring is 
seen twisting rapidly round 
the wand (Fig. 4). 



Fig. 2. 

Asking assistant to hold the ring—really 
the one in border of handkerchief. 


Fig. 3. 

Assistant holds wand, performer holds the 
ring in border of handkerchief. 




Fig. 4. 

A sharp jerk discloses the ring on centre 
of wand. 


THE FLOWER TRICK 


275 


THE FLOWER TRICK* 

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MDLLE. PATRICE. 

This trick is known to conjurers under many titles—“ The 
Birth of Flora/’ “ Flora’s Tribute,” “ Mysterious Production 
of Flowers,” etc. The whole secret of this beautiful illusion 
lies in the grace with which it is performed, and in the spring 
flowers used. Suitable for a lady or gentleman. 

Time Occupied. —Five to ten minutes. 

Effect. —The performer displays to the audience a fairly 
large sheet of stiff white cartridge-paper, which is deftly 
twisted into a cornucopia-shaped bag. Passes are made in 
the air with one hand above the bag, and it is immediately 
seen to be filled with brilliant-coloured flowers, which are 
emptied out into an ornamental vase. The paper is again 
opened out, and rolled into a bag once more, and a fresh 
abundance of flowers is produced. Next the performer 
borrows a handkerchief from a lady, and throwing it over 
a plate and immediately removing it, the plate is covered 
with blossoms. 

Requisites and Preparation. —A skeleton umbrella on 
a tripod stand (Fig. 5); a sheet of cartridge-paper about 
18 in. by 12 in.; a hundred or two of spring silk or paper 
flowers. To make these a piece of watch-spring steel about 
two inches long is cut down the centre to within a half-inch 
of the bottom, and turned outwards in opposite directions. 
This is inserted in two silk or paper leaves, one fork of the 
spring being in the centre of one leaf and the other fork in 
the other leaf. The two leaves are joined together by two 
other leaves, so that the four leaves open and shut like an 
accordion. The two outer leaves are generally made green 
and the two inner ones of variegated colours. They can be 
folded, when pressed together, quite flat; but when released 



THE FLOWER TRICK 


the small spring causes them to fly open, each one forming 
a flower of some four or five inches diameter. Some elastic 
bands and wire, together with a trick soup plate, as shown in 
Figs, i and 2, complete the necessary~apparatus. 



Fig. 2. 


Fig. 1. 


The plate with trap open. 


The plate as shown. 


About one hundred of the flowers are placed together, and 
kept in position by two cardboard leaves, round which is tied 
a fine thread, or, better still, an elastic band may be slipped 
round the packet. Through the band or thread should be 
slipped a loop of wire. The flowers are hung, by means of 
this wire loop, over a tack on the back edge of the per¬ 
former’s table. 

Another bundle of about fifty, fastened together in the 
same way, but without the wire loop, is put into the per¬ 
former’s left pochette. 

Some thirty flowers or so are tied by their spring ends on 
to pieces of thread about two inches long, the ends of which 
are all tied together. These are squeezed up and laid into 
the little trick opening in the centre of the plate, and the 
lid is closed. As these are tied together by means of the 
short threads, when the lid springs open they fly out and 
open, and do not fly in all directions off the plate, but remain 
on it like a bouquet. The plate is set on table. 




THE FLOWER TRICK 


2 77 



Presentation of Trick. —The 

performer shows the cartridge 
paper to the audience (Fig. 3), 
both sides being turned alternately 
to them to satisfy them that there 
is nothing whatever concealed in 
it. 


Fig. 3 . 



It is then turned into a kind of 
cornucopia, or bag similar to those 
used by grocers for wrapping up 
sugar. After it is made, attention 
should be drawn to the fact that it 
is empty (Fig. 4). 


The bag is now laid on the table, with its point towards 
audience and opening towards back of table, so that the part 
of the bag which the left hand is touching in Fig. 4 is just 
over the hanging packet of flowers. 

The performer then fetches the inverted umbrella, which 
should be standing near. A little attention should be drawn 
to the stand and some appropriate remark made regarding it. 
Placing it near to the table (centre of platform if on a stage), 
the performer advances towards the table, and with a slightly 
sweeping movement of the left hand picks up the bundle of 
flowers by means of the wire loop, together with the paper 


THE FLOWER TRICK 


278 

cone. The right hand immediately grasps the apex of the 
bag, and the left, in relinquishing its hold of the mouth of the 
bag, allows the packet of flowers to slide down to the bottom 
of it. Holding the bag thus in the right hand, pretence is 
made with the left of catching something in the air and 
casting it into the bag, of course without allowing the left 
hand to actually enter the bag, and allowing the audience the 
while to see that the left hand is quite empty as it makes the 
motion of throwing. 

Whilst making these passes with 
the left hand the right squeezes the 
bundle of flowers through the paper, 
thus breaking the cotton or releas¬ 
ing the elastic; this allows the 
flowers to spread out and fill the 
bag, which is shown to be over¬ 
flowing with beautiful blossoms, 
which are shaken gradually into 
the upturned umbrella (Fig. 5). 



Fig. 5. 

When almost empty the bag is unrolled and the last few 
flowers allowed to roll off the paper, together with the card¬ 
board outer leaves and the elastic band, into the umbrella. 



* a* 



In showing the paper back and 
front once more to the audience the 
other bundle of flowers is secretly 
secured by left hand from the left 
pocket (Fig. 6), and in rolling up the 
paper to bag shape once more the 
left hand leaves the packet inside 
the bag. 


Fig. 6. 




THE FLOWER TRICK 279 

The process of catching the flowers in the air is again gone 
through. The grace and mysterious manner of these move¬ 
ments make the success of the trick. As always in conjuring, 
the performer must take most care and lay most stress on 
that part of the trick when nothing is being really done, 
attracting the attention of the audience to these parts of the 
display and diverting them from the parts when any real 
progress is being made. 

When the second set of flowers are all emptied into the 
umbrella the paper is unrolled and laid aside. The performer 
picks up the plate, and showing it back and front, says, “ I 
have here a soup plate. Now, will a lady lend me a hand¬ 
kerchief for a few moments?” Having obtained the hand¬ 
kerchief, it is lightly thrown over the plate, which the 
performer holds on the palm of the left hand, and the thumb 
of the left hand presses the little knob underneath the plate, 
which opens the trap and the flowers spring out. The 
handkerchief is removed, and a lovely bouquet is seen lying 
on the plate. The plate is set down upon the table with the 
flowers upon it, and the handkerchief returned to its owner. 

The charm of this illusion depends upon the neat insertion 
of the flowers into the bag and the pretended gathering in 
from the air. There must be no hurry—the more slowly and 
deliberately the necessary movements are made the more 
effective the trick. There are many other ways of getting 
the flowers into the bag, nearly every performer having his 
own method. The foregoing is the best for the beginner, 
who will presently, in the course of practice, find other styles, 
and eventually choose for himself that which he fancies 
most. 


THE TAMBOURINE TRICK 


280 


THE TAMBOURINE TRICK* 

MDLLE. PATRICE’S METHOD. 

A trick with plenty of life and movement, suitable for 
lady or gentleman. It forms a very good medium for the 
magical discovery of presents at a children’s or other party, 
where souvenirs are to be distributed to the company. 

Time Occupied. —Four or five minutes. 

Effect. —A small tambourine is improvised by pressing 
a sheet of cartridge paper between two metal rings, and 
trimming to shape. The performer taps with wand on the 
centre of the tambourne, breaking a hole in the paper, 
through which is drawn an apparently endless strip of 
coloured paper. Finally from this bundle of paper are pro¬ 
duced flowers, a rabbit, dove, doll, or bonbons, as the case 
may be. 

Requisites and Preparation.— Two metal rings which 
fit exactly one over the other so that when a piece of paper 
is placed between them and they are pressed together the 
paper is firmly gripped and stretched ; a coil of rolled paper 
known to magical dealers as a “ tambourine coil ”; a sheet 
of white paper; flowers, or whatever it is desired to produce 
from the paper at finish; a pair of scissors. 

The rings, paper, and scissors are laid upon the table. 
The coil is slipped beneath the cloth of the table with its 
edge about one-eighth to quarter of an inch beyond the 
table-edge, the cloth being previously turned under at the 
back so as to be flush with the table-edge. 

Whatever is to be produced from the paper is placed upon 
a servante at back of a chair or the table. 


THE TAMBOURINE TRICK 


281 



Fig. 1. 


Presentation of Trick. —The 

rings and paper are exhibited 
with the remark, “ Out of these 
two simple metal rings I shall 
improvise a tambourine” (Fig. 1). 



Fig. 2. 


Lay one ring upon the table, 
and over it the paper. Press the 
second ling from above over the 
first until the paper is tightly 
gripped, and show to the audience 
as in Fig 2, saying, “ I will just 
trim it to shape.” 



Fig. 3. 

The fingers bringingcoil from beneath 
tablecloth at back of tambourine. 


Lay the rings and paper care¬ 
lessly on the table over the spot 
where the coil is concealed. Pick 
up the scissors with right hand, 
the left hand taking up the un¬ 
trimmed tambourine. In doing 
so the fingers grasp the coil, and 
pressing it against the tambour¬ 
ine (Fig. 3) bring it up held flat 
against the inside of it. 




282 


THE TAMBOURINE TRICK 



Whilst trimming the paper care 
must be taken to keep the tam¬ 
bourine in a perpendicular position 
as in Fig. 4. Say, “ Now we have 
the best substitute I can make for 
a tambourine. I will endeavour 
to play you a little tune upon it.” 
Taking up the wand tap sharply 
in the centre of the paper, making 
F 'g- 4- a little hole (Fig. 4). Exclaim, 

“ Oh! I am sorry I have broken it at the first tap. I fear 
I shall not be able to play you a tune after all—but what¬ 
ever is this ? ” 



Fig. 5. 


Put down wand and draw out 
a piece of the coil (Fig. 5). 
“ There seems to be quite a 
quantity! ” 



Pick up wand and with it strike 
the piece just drawn out, and con¬ 
tinue quickly turning the wand 
round and round in a circle of 
about a foot from left to right; 
this will bring the rest of the coil 
racing out, the end of the wand 
being gradually loaded with more 
and more of the seemingly end- 
Fig. 6. less strip of paper (Fig. 6). 

The fingers at the back which hold the coil into the 
tambourine can tell when almost all the paper is run out. 


THE TAMBOURINE TRICK 



The performer throws the 
bundle of paper over the chair- 
back (Fig. ;) (or the table if the 
servante is there) where is con¬ 
cealed whatever is to be pro¬ 
duced, and looks into the now 
much torn and empty tambour¬ 
ine, saying, “ I wonder if there is 
anything more in this very un¬ 
musical instrument. No, this 
seems to be all. Perhaps, 
madam,” turning to some lady 
in the audience, “ you would ac¬ 
cept this paper; it will make an excellent fireplace screen 
for the summer. I will bring it to you.” 

Take up the paper from chair- 
back, bringing up whatever is to be 
produced behind it. “ Here it is— 
out what’s this? I thought I felt 
something bite me. Ah, here it is. 
I do believe it is a rat—no, why 
it is a doll (Fig. 8) (or whatever it 
is). Perhaps you will take that in¬ 
stead.” If bonbons or flowers are 
produced they may be showered out 
amongst the audience. 

If a large number of presents are to 
be produced they should be made into 
a parcel with thin paper and stood upon 
the floor just out of sight behind the 
a doii produced through the edge of a screen, or other opaque object, 
paper ' and instead of throwing the paper over 

chair-back it is thrown down to the ground at the edge of the 
screen near the parcel, the paper is then picked up with the 
parcel behind it, and the presents are discovered through the 
paper, and distributed. 



Fig. 8. 





PARLOUR TRICKS AND PUZZLES 


REQUIRING NO PARTICULAR SKILL 


































, w 








•I « 













PARLOUR TRICKS AND PUZZLES 


REQUIRING NO SPECIAL SKILL, AND MOSTLY SUITABLE 
FOR “AFTER DINNER” PERFORMANCE 

There are very many simple tricks and puzzles which 
whilst not actually to be classed as conjuring, yet appear 
wonderful and amusing to those who do not know how they 
are done. 

The tricks which come under this category owe their 
existence to the performer’s knowledge of how to take 
advantage of several of nature’s great principles. 

The majority here described have to do with that in¬ 
tangible spot, the centre of gravity. Hydraulics, magnetism, 
pneumatics, electricity, and mathematics all have a hand 
in others. But let not the reader take fright at this rather 
appalling list of sciences. He will not be drawn into any 
deep studies, but by perusing the following pages will, with¬ 
out any knowledge of the sciences themselves, which govern 
the feats, be quite easily able to work all the little “ fakes ” 
described. 

Nearly all of these tricks require for their performance 
nothing except ordinary objects, which are to be found in 
every household. 

Should my readers be interested in the experiments here 
explained, and desirous of extending their knowledge to 
others, I would recommend them to Magic at Home* 
Puzzles Old and New* and The Secret Out* three excellent 
books, which contain hundreds of similar quips and cranks 
for evenings at home in the family circle. 

* For publishers, etc., see chapter on “Books on Magic and Kindred 
Subjects.” 


287 


288 


THE TWO CORKS 


THE TWO CORKS* 

Take a cork in each hand, as in Fig. I. Place the thumb 
and forefinger of the right hand at either end of the cork 
in the left hand, and forefinger and thumb of left hand at 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 

either end of the cork in right hand, and then take the corks 
apart. 

This is a most puzzling little trick, and when once learnt 
is easily forgotten. The secret lies in the manner in which 


Fig. 3. 

the hands are brought together, which must be as in Fig. 2, 
one palm outwards and one inwards, when the corks can 
readily be removed, as in Fig. 3. 







THE SAFETY READING LAMP 289 


THE SUSPENDED KNIFE, 



Fig- 1. Fig. 2. 


Fig. i looks as though the hand had some magnetic power 
which mysteriously keeps the knife suspended, but a glance 
at Fig. 2 shows that it is a very simple matter after all. 

This is a trick for the amusement of the youngsters. 


THE SAFETY READING LAMP, 

In order to avoid a terrible accident, when reading in bed 
use this perfect safety lamp. It consists of a glass of water 
and a candle. Take a tumbler three 
parts full, a piece of candle an inch 
and a half long, and an inch French 
nail. Stick the nail into the bottom 
of the candle, and this will steady it 
and allow it to float, above the surface 
of the water about an eighth of an 
inch. Although it will burn away, the 
candle will not sink, and the outer part 
will burn much more slowly than the 
part surrounding the wick. It will there¬ 
fore be observed that there is a little well 
of melted fat below water level, and as the sides of the candle 
gradually melt the well gets deeper, until the end of the 
wick is reached, and the light is automatically extinguished. 

T 










2 9 o BOTTLE AND SEIDLITZ POWDER 


TO BALANCE AND SPIN A PLATE ON THE 
POINT OF A NEEDLE 

Drive a needle, eye-end first, into a cork, allowing the point 
to protrude half an inch or so. 
Cork a bottle with the point of the 
needle upwards. Next cut into 
halves two corks, and stick into the 
flat sides of each of these, at the 
end, the prongs of a fork, so that 
the flat side of the cork and the 
inner side of the fork will form a 
slightly acute angle. The four pre¬ 
pared forks must be placed at equal 
distances round the edge of the 
plate, to test which balance on an 
upright finger. When satisfied, place it on the point of the 
needle, and having balanced it carefully you can set it spinning. 
To avoid failure in the performance of this it is recommended 
that you roughen the smooth enamel on the bottom of the plate 
with emery-paper, though it can be done on the enamel itself. 



A BOTTLE CANNON AND SEIDLITZ POWDER. 

The cork represents the bullet. To fire off this for¬ 
midable combination observe the following rules: — Buy 
a packet of Seidlitz powders, and you will find enclosed 
powders in blue paper and powders in white paper. The 
contents of a blue packet 
dissolve in a strong bottle— 
champagne bottle for pre¬ 
ference—about one-third 
filled with water. Now roll 
a large-sized lady’s ivory 
visiting card, or other flex¬ 
ible card, cartridge shape, 
and stop up one end of the tube with tissue or blotting- 








SHARK IN THE FISH-POND 


29 


paper. Place in the cartridge the Seidlitz powder from the 
white paper and suspend it from a cork by a piece of thread. 
A pin, driven into the bottom of the cork, will enable you 
to do this. Tightly cork the bottle, the suspended cartridge 
hanging about half an inch above the water. The piece is 
now loaded, and to fire it all that is necessary is to lay the 
bottle gently on the table lengthwise. To allow for the 
rebound by the force of the discharge, rest it on a couple 
of ordinary lead pencils. In this position the cartridge will 
float on the water, which will soon reach the tartaric acid 
inside. This will be dissolved, the mixture producing 
carbonic acid gas, which, in order to escape, will force out 
the cork. There is a loud report, and the cork shoots 
forward, taking the cartridge with it, while the bottle recoils 
from the force of the discharge. There is no danger attach¬ 
ing to this experiment, and it may be performed with 
confidence in the home circle. 


SHARK IN THE FISH-POND* 

The shark is made of paper, but in exactly the same way 
as the shark in the photograph—that is, you split him up 
the middle to about the centre 
of his body, which centre (1) 
forms a little round dock with 
a narrow channel emerging at 
the tail (2). A piece of com¬ 
mon note-paper will answer the 
purpose admirably, and with 
this you make the fish about 
two inches long, the hole in the centre being, say, a 
half-inch in diameter, or less. Put the fish on the water in 
such a way that the part below the division is well soaked, 
while the upper part lies on the surface dry. You then 
dip your finger in a little oil, put one or two drops carefully 
within the circle, and the fish will soon be propelled forward. 

The cause of this is that as the oil lies on the surface 




292 


A SOUP TUREEN STAND 


of the water it expands, and its only outlet being the 
channel from the centre of the shark, the force it exerts 
in getting down the channel will drive the fish forward, until 
the oil is released and able to spread itself further. 


A NOVEL AND QUICKLY CONSTRUCTED 
SOUP TUREEN STAND, 


A serviette ring, three forks, and 
a plate will in an instant make the 
above. Slip the handles of the forks, 
tripod wise, through the serviette ring. 
Upon the prong ends of the forks 
place the plate, and your stand is 
finished. If the forks have been 
truly placed the stand will bear a 
great weight safely. 


CORNERS OF A HANDKER¬ 
CHIEF, ONE IN EACH HAND, AND TIE A 
KNOT IN IT WITHOUT REMOVING EITHER 
HAND, 

This is an old and well-known trick, but is still good 
enough to puzzle youngsters 
with. 

Lay the handkerchief up¬ 
on a table. Fold your arms, 
and in this position take 
hold of one corner of the 
handkerchief in the fingers 
of left hand, and then bend 
over and grasp the opposite 
corner with the fingers of 

the right. Now unfold your arms, and the knot is tied. 







EXPERIMENT WITH CORKS 


293 


A DODGE WITH A SIXPENCE, 

Undertake to make a coin fly out of a wine-glass without 
touching either. Place a sixpence at the bottom of a wine 
glass, and fit a larger coin, such as a half-crown, about a 
quarter of an inch from the top, making a lid. Now blow 
sharply on one side of the lid ; this will turn to a vertical 
position, and the force of the air passing underneath the 
larger coin will drive the sixpence out at the other side. 


EXPERIMENT WITH CORKS, 

When a cork is thrown on the water it does not float in an 
upright position, and cannot be 
made to do so of itself. You can, 
however, float a number of corks 
upright. Take seven corks, stand 
one upright, and the rest round it. 

Now with your hand grasp them 
all together, and plunge them into 
a basin of water, and hold them 
under in this position for a few 
moments. When you bring them 
to the surface, the corks being 
bound to each other by a force 
known as capillary attraction, will 
remain as you have placed them, and as the width of the 
combined corks is greater than their depth they will all float 
upright. 





294 


MAGNETISED PAPER 


PINS INTO A SMALL GLASS ALREADY 
FULL OF WATER* 


Place a thoroughly dry liqueur glass on an absolutely level 
table, and fill it with water right up to the brim. Pour the 
water in as you would pour out wine; that is to say, in a 
small stream into the centre of glass. 

This is that the brim may not be 
wetted, as should this happen the trick 
is spoiled. 

Now take four or five pins and drop 
them smartly into the glass, points 
downward. You may continue until 
you have anything from 250 to 450 
pins in the glass (according to its size) 
without one drop of water being spilled. 

The water will bank itself up over the 
brim, but will not overflow. The photo¬ 
graph shows a liqueur glass into which 
some 380 pins were dropped after it 
was already brimful of water. 



MAGNETISED PAPER* 

Balance a stick of any sort on a chair back, and with a 
thoroughly dry piece of stiff paper move the stick without 
touching it, so that it loses its balance. This is done by 



magnetising the paper in the 
following manner :—See that it 
is first thoroughly dry, and then 
rub briskly on your coat. In 
this way it is electrified and 
capable of attracting things as 
light as itself. A balanced stick 
or pole requires very little power 
to move it, and a piece of paper 
or a playing-card treated as 1 




A SIMPLE COIN TRICK 


295 

have described, and held about an inch away from its end, 
is sufficient to cause it to lose its balance without being 
touched. For the satisfaction of the lookers-on the pole 
may be drawn right round without losing its balance. 


A SIMPLE COIN TRICK* 

Place the coin, a sixpenny or threepenny piece, on a bent 
match, taking care that the match stick 
is not completely broken, and place it 
over the mouth of the bottle as in the 
photograph. Ask any of your friends 
to cause the coin to fall into the bottle 
without touching either match, coin, or 
bottle. When they give it up, dip your 
finger in water, and allow one drop to 
fall on the place where the match is 
partly broken. Under the influence of 
the water the wood will expand until 
the coin has no support, and falls into the bottle. 



TO PICK A FLOATING INDIARUBBER BALL 
UP FROM A BASIN OF WATER WITH THE 
MOUTH* 

This experiment will cause much fun and wet many a face. 

The soft indiarubber ball should be about ij inches in 
diameter, and be floated in a large basin nearly full of water. 

The secret of being able to raise it without difficulty is 
to put your mouth, slightly open, with lips pursed, close to 
the ball, and then sharply draw in a long breath. The ball 
will be drawn up by the suction of air. Without releasing 
the breath raise the head, and you may then let your breath 
go, catching the ball in your hand as it falls. 



296 HOME MADE CINEMATOGRAPH 


THE HOME-MADE CINEMATOGRAPH, 

An amusing trick of kinetoscopic character, of a sort most 
popular with children. 

Use a large-sized soup plate or basin, and in it place 
sufficient water to float a round dish with a rim almost 
perpendicular,against which glue 
or fasten five or six figures of any 
shape—men or animals. They 
must be placed at equal distances 
from each other. When rapidly 
revolving they will appear ani¬ 
mated. This is accomplished by 
cutting the first man with arms 
close together and legs close to 
the body, the next with them a little apart, and in each 
succeeding figure a little more so, until the sixth man has 
arms stretched above his head and legs wide apart. Next 
give the spectator a card with a hole through it. If, when 
the dish is spun round, one eye be closed and a look taken 
through the hole with the other, the figures will appear to be 
rapidly dancing and waving their arms, for only one man 
at a time will be seen, but in such rapid succession that 
the illusion is complete. 

By standing a winning-post at any spot at the side'of the 
plate this contrivance may be used in place of a manufactured 
spinning race game, and has this advantage, that the stopping 
of a particular horse or figure at the winning-post cannot be 
manipulated by a dishonest person, as may often be done 
in the case of the usual spinning race game. 




EGG AND BOTTLE THICK 


297 


AN EGG AND BOTTLE TRICK. 

To balance a fresh egg on the rim of the neck of a bottle 
is a feat which may be done with a cork and two forks. 
Make a slight hollow in one end of 
the cork. Push into the cork the 
prongs of two forks, as near as you 
can judge opposite each other on 
either side, at the end away from 
the hollow. To test them, place the 
hollow end of the cork on the finger, 
and if the forks hang unequally you 
must push one deeper, until they are 
properly balanced, when they may be 
placed .carefully on the larger end of 
the egg. Lift this carefully, and as 
they are balanced place the egg on the bottle, as shown in 
the accompanying illustration. This may be made to spin 
round and round the rim of the bottle, but the writer has 
never succeeded in doing this, nor seen anyone else do it, 
though balancing the egg in this way is not difficult. 



TO PLACE FOUR WINE - GLASSES SO THAT 
THE CENTRES OF THE BOTTOM OF THEIR 
STANDS ARE ALL EQUIDISTANT ONE FROM 
ANOTHER. 

This will puzzle most people, but is very simple. Three 
of the glasses stand at the corners of an equilateral triangle, 
the sides of which are exactly the outside length of one of 
the glasses. The remaining glass turn upside down, and 
stand it so in the centre of the other three. 


298 TO PASS THROUGH A CARD 


TO PASS YOURSELF THROUGH A PLAYING- 
CARD* 

An apparently impossible feat is to 
playing-card and pass your body through 
it. Such a proposition is, however, not 
so mad a one as at first thought it 
appears. Take the six of hearts, or 
any other card in the pack, and with 
a sharp knife carefully cut it down the 
middle, leaving about a sixteenth of an 
inch at top and bottom uncut (Fig. i). 

Having done this, fold it, take a pair of 
scissors and cut the doubled card alter¬ 
nately from the edges nearly to your slit 
at the middle, and then from slit nearly 
to edges (Fig. i). The scissors should 
be sharp, and the cutting cleanly and closely done. When 
this is accomplished it will be found that the card can be care- 


take an ordinary 



Fig. r. 



F'g. 2. Fig. 3. 


fully stretched out into a zigzag band ot quite sufficient size 
to be passed over your body (Figs. 2 and 3). Do the cutting 
carefully, and there will be no difficulty in the feat. 





WEIGHING-MACHINE 


299 


PERPETUAL MOTION* 

An excellent exhibition of the power of the imperceptible 
vibration of the human body may be given in a very simple 
experiment. 

Join two common lucifer matches at the ends by slitting 
one and pointing the other, and 
then wedging one into the other. 

Bend them in the middle, so that 
they may represent legs. Place 
at the junction of the matches a 
small card, also stuck into the 
slit match, made to represent 
a man, or ghost, or devil. If 
the figure thus made be placed 
astride on the edge of a knife, and if it is held so that the 
match heads just touch the table, the figure will gradually 
move, appearing to walk along the blade. The motion is 
caused solely by the vibration of the knife, for however 
steady it may appear, and however much the holder may 
try, the person holding it cannot be still, but conveys the 
movement of his body to the knife. 

HOUSEKEEPER'S WEIGHING-MACHINE* 

Not at all a clumsy scale, and one which will do excel¬ 
lently well for the purposes of the house-wife, is to be made 
in the following manner:—Suspend a good length of string 
from the ceiling, and fix to this, at a distance of about two 

feet, scales, as shown in the 
illustration. The scales should 
be as equal in weight as one 
can judge, made of two pieces 
of cardboard or wood. Now 
you can place a pound weight 
in each scale in order that the 
apparatus may be taut. This 
done, the exact middle of the 










300 A RATHER DANGEROUS TRICK 

crossbar may be indicated by measurement, and that must 
correspond with the arrow-point at the back of the photograph. 
This is drawn on to card and tacked up. Take one of the 
pound weights off, and it will be seen that the weight of the 
other scale sinks it a little, causing the crossbar to move, 
perhaps an inch. Again, mark the string right opposite the 
arrow-point; and so you may graduate the scale in any way 
you like. Half and quarter pounds can be indicated by 
measurement, and anything above a pound by repeating the 
process I have described with a heavier weight. The instru¬ 
ment will be found exact enough for all household needs. 

A RATHER DANGEROUS TRICK. 

To kneel upon the ground, as in Fig. i, with hands clasped 
behind the back and fall straight for¬ 
ward without unclasping the hands needs 
much more pluck and nerve than one 
would think. In fact, it is rather a 
barrack-room trick; anyone not in the 
secret of how to do it safely is liable 
to receive a serious injury to his beauty, 
as the weight of the body brings the 
face crash down upon the floor, unless 
the experimenter takes in a long breath , 
thoroughly expanding the lungs, and 
holds them full until after the fall 
is made, at the same time holding his 
head sideways and thrown back as far 
as possible, when he will 
fall gently and without 
any crash into the position 
of Fig. 2. In any case 
a very good nerve is re¬ 
quired, and though the 
knowledge of it may be 
useful, the trick is not 
to be recommended for 
everyday use. 




TO LIFT THREE MATCHES 


301 


ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE* 

A rather well-known instance of the pressure of air is 

that by means of which one 
may take a glass of water 
and swing it round and 
round and upside down in 
a circle and yet not spill a 
drop of the liquid. The 
photograph shows the cor¬ 
rect position in which to 
grasp the glass for the ex¬ 
periment The beginner will do well to practise in the 
garden first, as many a glassful of water will be spilled in 
learning to do this neatly. 



TO LIFT THREE MATCHES WITH ONE* 

To lift two joined matches and a loose one with a fourth 
match. Cut the end of the first match wedge shape, and slit 
the second slightly. In this way they can be joined together, 
and put into position will 
form the letter V upside- 
down. 

Stand the joined matches 
pyramid - wise against the 
third as a support When 
they are ready, ask some¬ 
one to lift the three, using 
nothing but another match 
in the act. To do so, carefully and slowly raise the A towards 
the perpendicular, when the supporting match will slip under 
the angle made by the A, and fall against the match you are 
lifting with. As soon as this is accomplished raise the lifting 
match, and the third match will become wedged into the 
point of the A, the fourth match then lifts the whole. 





302 


TO BALANCE A LEAD PENCIL 


A CUP OF TEA ON THE POINT OF A KNIFE* 

Get a cork and push it through the handle of the cup; it 
must fit sufficiently not to slip about. Drive into the cork a 
fork, two of the prongs of which must be on either side of 
the cup handle, and the bottom of which must slant so that 
the handle is under the cup. In order to make sure, place it 
all upon your finger, which must touch the centre of the 
cup bottom. Quite sure of the stability of the contrivance, 
you now place the cup on the point of a knife or pencil. 
The cup may, whilst balanced, be filled full of tea if 
you have an extremely steady hand, and pour the liquid 
exactly on to the centre of the cup. The balancing the 
empty cup is easy, but the filling it without losing a balance 
is very difficult. 


TO BALANCE A LEAD PENCIL* 

A simple experiment in the law of gravitation is to take 
an ordinary lead pencil, stick the 
blade of an open knife into it, 
about an inch from the point, which 
place on your finger, the pencil 
being in a nearly upright position. 

A balance can at once be obtained 
by opening the knife more or less. 

When first balanced the pencil will 
probably be in the position of the 
leaning tower of Pisa, but with the 
centre of gravity exactly underneath 
the point of the pencil, it will become 
perpendicular. This can be done by changing the angle of 
the blade of the knife. 





A NEW UMBRELLA STAND 


303 


BRUTE FORCE USELESS, 

To blow a cork into a bottle is a trick you should only 
ask your rival in love to perform. Take an ordinary wine- 
bottle and a small cork of 
a size which will easily slip in 
and out of the neck of the 
bottle. Place the cork in the 
mouth of the bottle and ask 
a novice to blow it into the 
bottle. It looks very simple, as 
the cork is so small. In all 
probability he will give a tre¬ 
mendous blast from the lungs, 
which will cause the cork to fly out in the opposite direction, 
striking him sharply on the face, as in the photograph. The 
bottle is already full of air, and the blowing into it only causes 
a like quantity to come out. If you blow gently through a 
pipe-stem held against the cork it will slide into the bottle. 



A NEW UMBRELLA STAND, 

A bottle, an umbrella with a curved handle, and a piece 
of string are required in the manufacture of an umbrella 
stand, which will not, however, stand unless the umbrella 
is in it. Suspend a yard and a half of cord from two nails a 
yard apart. Put the end of a crook-handled umbrella into 
the mouth of a bottle. Place the bottle about half-way from 
the base across the swinging string, so that the umbrella is 
more than half under the string. You will find it not very 
difficult to get a balance. If you dropped a few spots of 
water on to the silk of the umbrella, this slight weight would 
disturb the centre of gravity and cause the bottle to slip. 


304 


ELECTRICITY ON THE SPOT 


ELECTRICITY ON THE SPOT. 

Great electricians are born, not made, but you may any 
evening produce the potent and mysterious power for the 
amusement of your friends. One of the ordinary incan¬ 
descent, straight-up-and-down lamp glasses is most suitable 
for this experiment, about a foot long. Other tools necessary 
are tinfoil (that which chocolate is often wrapped in will do), 
a silk handkerchief, and a brush—one that about fits the 
glass. See that all these things are perfectly dry. 

Warm the glass by the fire, so that all possible moisture 
may evaporate, and place round the middle, on the outside of 
the glass, a strip of tinfoil, half an inch wide, which may 
be secured by a little stamp edging. Next, from the bottom 
of the glass to within about an inch of the circular tinfoil 
gum another strip of straight tinfoil. Cover the brush with 
the handkerchief, as if you were going to clean the glass, and 
insert it with that purpose. Now turn it round vigorously, 
and at every revolution a spark of electricity will flash in the 
space between the two bits of tinfoil. To see this to 
advantage the gas should be turned low. By fixing a key¬ 
ring round the glass over the tinfoil you may transmit the 
flash any distance, if only you have a conductor. A piece 
of wire attached to the key-ring will serve this purpose, and 
not until the flash reaches a non-conducting substance will 
it disappear. 


A CHEAP SPRAYER 


3°5 


" TRY - Y OURAUNG POWERS 

Set two large volumes upon the table and ask a friend 
to blow them over. He will probably declare it to be im¬ 
possible. Take an ordinary long 
flour bag (see that it is air tight) 
and place the bottom end of it 
under one of the books, and lay the 
other volume T-wise across the first. 

Blow into the other end of the bag. 

You will be surprised to find what 
heavy books (directories or account- 
books, for instance) can be blown 
over with ease. The practice of 
drawing in a long breath and blow¬ 
ing it out is very healthy in itself, and 
is part of most systems of physical culture. If persisted in 
it will very speedily add a couple of inches to your expanded 
chest measurement. 

A CHEAP SPRAYER. 

A simple spraying apparatus, which will serve many 
useful purposes, can be made at very little expense of either 
time or money. This sprayer may be 
made with the aid of two goose quills 
and a cork. Cut the cork half-way 
down the middle and half-way across, 
removing one quarter of it. Two holes 
are next to be bored in this, at right 
angles to each other, and through these 
two goose quills inserted till they meet. 
If one tube is put into a bottle of scent, 
or any other liquid, a rapidly-made but 
excellent sprayer is at once ready for 
use, either for the purposes of dis¬ 
infecting, or for sweetening the air. You have only to blow 
through the second quill. 

U 








3° 6 


CARDBOARD FIGURES 


CARDBOARD FIGURES BLOW OUT AND LIGHT 
A CANDLE. 

To extinguish a candle and re-light it in the manner of our 
illustration is a feat which must be performed with care, and 
should not be attempted by those unskilled in the manipula¬ 
tion of explosive chemicals. The danger is small, but to the 
experimenter it may be serious. 

Prepare in private a couple of little 
men or women, made of cardboard, 
and fix in the place where their 
mouths ought to be two tubes made 
of a couple of inches of some small¬ 
sized quill. To make the deception 
complete the figures should appear 
to be blowing through these. Each 
quill must be filled nearly to the 
end furthest from the figure with 
sand, and at the end of one place 
a very little gunpowder, and in the other a small piece of 
phosphorus. Introduce to your friends the two figures 
and a lighted candle, the flame of which you propose to 
extinguish with one figure, and re-light with the other. 
As it approaches the candle the powder, when near enough, 
will explode, and the force of the explosion will be directed 
against the flame of the candle, which is immediately put out, 
but the smoke of the powder, if the figures be held properly, 
is sent in the direction of the phosphorus. The heat of this 
will at once set fire to the phosphorus in the second tube, 
and if you hold it close to the candle it is again lighted. 
In handling the phosphorus great care must be exercised. 







SUSPENDED WITHOUT SUPPORT 307 


SUPERIOR TO THE SPIRIT LEVEL* 

Pass a pin through the middle of g. piece of cork of the size 
of four sixpences, one on top of the other. Allow the point to 
protrude a quarter of an inch. Put this in an empty bottle 
and fill with water until it just floats, the head of the pin 
remaining directly underneath, and from it a thread hanging, 
which is fastened to the middle of the bottom of the bottle 
with some beeswax. Now push a hatpin through the cork 
you will use to cork the bottle, so that when corked the 
points of the two pins will almost meet. 

On a level plane the line from the top to the bottom of 
the bottle will be straight, and any deviation from that level 
will be shown at once by the pin diverging from the point 
above. 

Unlike a spirit level, this apparatus will show the level 
all round, and not in one direction only. 


OBJECTS SUSPENDED WITHOUT ANY 
SUPPORT* 

Nature abhors a vacuum, and wherever one is created air 
struggles to get in to fill it. This fact makes possible some 
suspensions which appear very wonderful indeed to the 
uninitiated. 

Take a bottle and hold it mouth downwards over a fire 
or the steam of boiling water for a few minutes. Sharply 
press a plate over the mouth of the 
bottle, and holding it tightly in this 
position, so as to allow no air to get 
into the bottle, wait a few minutes to 
allow the air in the bottle to cool. 

You can then lift the plate by the 
rim, as in the photograph, and the 
bottle will firmly adhere to it. If 
the edge of the mouth of bottle is 
greased it makes the experiment 
more certain, for there may be some 
slight unevenness in the edge of the 



3 o8 A LUDICROUS EXPERIMENT 

glass or the surface of the plate which would let in air, and 
so spoil the trick. However, the greasing is not absolutely 
essential. 

The air in the bottle being heated expands, and much 
of it is thus forced out; when the plate is clapped on and 
the air allowed to cool it contracts, thus leaving a partial 
vacuum, and the outer air, struggling to get in, holds the 
plate as though glued to the mouth of the bottle. Glasses 
and all sorts of things can be suspended in the same 
manner. 

TO LIFT FOUR STRAWS WITH A FIFTH. 

Lay two straws parallel with each other, and over them lay 
the two others crosswise. Slip the fifth straw, which you 
mean to lift with, under the centre of the nearest of the 
parallel ones, over the two crossed straws at their crossing 
point, and again under the 
centre of the second paral¬ 
lel straw. You may now 
lift, as all will remain 
firmly fixed together. 

The trick appears more 
difficult if you lay four 
straws and a shilling upon 
the table, and handing the fifth to a friend, tell him to lift the 
coin and straws with it. The straws are arranged as above, 
and the shilling pushed in between the straws at the point 
where the lifting straw passes the two crossed straws. 



A LUDICROUS EXPERIMENT IN BALANCING. 

Place an ordinary chair upon the ground in the position of 
that in the photograph. Upon the top rail of back of chair 
place a lump of sugar. Kneel upon the rail which joins the 
two back legs, and, grasping the top rail at either end with 
your hands, endeavour to pick up the lump of sugar with 



ANOTHER SIMILAR FEAT 


309 


your mouth. Be careful that the sudden tilt of the chair to 
the position in the second photograph does not throw you 



head first upon the floor—or, better still, let someone else try 
the trick. 

The back and back legs of the chair used must be in a 
straight line. A chair with a back sloping at an angle from 
the back legs will not do for this experiment. 


ANOTHER SIMILAR FEAT* 



Place a cork upon the floor. Measure four lengths of your 
foot from it, and standing at this 
distance attempt with one foot to 
kick over the cork and recover your 
position (both feet together) without 
the foot that does the kicking touch¬ 
ing the floor till it has returned to its 
mate. The endeavours to maintain 
an equilibrium of anyone trying this 
will arouse considerable mirth. Each 
person measures four lengths of their 
own foot from the cork, so that a 
very tall man will stand considerably r 
further away than a short one. 


3 io 


DANCING BUBBLES 


THE BURNT THREAD. 

Soak some thread in a strong so¬ 
lution of ordinary salt in water. Allow 
it to dry. Repeat the process several 
times. Now you can hang up a ring 
or other objects by a piece of the thread. 

Set fire with a match, and burn up the 
thread. The ring or other object will 
still remain suspended. A hard-boiled 
egg may be hung up, as in photograph, 
and all four threads simultaneously 
burnt, without the egg falling. 



DANCING BUBBLES. 

As children we have all blown soap bubbles through pipe- 
stems, but we have probably never been able to make them 
dance. If the following directions are faithfully carried out, 
you may, to some extent, control soap bubbles. 

Make a strong solution of soap (good quality) and water, 
which may be bottled up, as it will be found convenient 
to make this preparation in private. To do so dissolve the 
soap in warm water by rubbing it, and then strain the water 
through a cloth, which will remove all impurities. Now mix 
the liquid with pure glycerine, shake it up, and stand it 
in a cool atmosphere. Gradually a white froth will rise 
to the surface, which you must skim off. Bottle the clear 
preparation underneath, make it air-tight, and the solution is 
ready. There is also necessary for this little experiment 
carbonic-acid gas. A syphon of soda water will provide 
this, and the gas may be extracted as follows: take a deep 
tumbler and a straw and, pressing the lever of the syphon, 
squirt into it half an inch of the liquid, and drink this at 
once by suction through the straw. As soon as the glass is 
empty squirt in another dose, remove it as before, and 



TO BORE HOLE THROUGH A COIN 311 

continue this till the syphon, half filled at the beginning, 
is empty. Each time you draw the liquid through the straw 
it throws off a quantity of carbonic-acid gas, and this being 
twice as heavy as air, remains at the bottom of the glass. 
With the glass nearly full of this gas, bring forward your 
prepared solution, and with a straw slit into four parts at the 
bottom and turned back blow a bubble, which you may 
allow to fall into the glass full of gas. The bubble will 
alight upon the gas and immediately rebound, and will 
continue to do this till it settles down quietly. It will not 
float for a long while on the surface of the gas, for, exposed 
to the air, the gas is slowly mixed with it. It will be seen 
that as the bubble sinks it grows larger, being, in fact, 
permeated and extended by the gas, until it reaches the 
sides of the glass and bursts, if not already destroyed by 
the gas. The bouncing bubble will dance about for some 
time. It is better to blow another and lower it very gently 
on the gas to observe the phenomenon of it being distended 
and destroyed. 


TO BORE A HOLE THROUGH A COIN WITH 
A NEEDLE* 

Place any bronze coin across two blocks of wood, as in the 

photograph. Pass a needle 
through the centre of a cork 
till the point just protrudes. 
Nip off the other end of the 
needle with wire cutters flush 
with the cork. Hold the cork 
(with point of needle down¬ 
wards) between the fingers on 
top of the coin and tap away 
firmly with the hammer, and 
the needle will gradually bore through the coin. 



312 NOVEL WAY TO SLICE A PEAR 


HOW WATER DECEIVES* 

If you look at anything under clear water it seems either 
larger or smaller than in reality, and you see it also in a false 
position. This is due to a law of refraction. A good proof 
is given of this fact by a coin placed at the bottom of 
a basin of water. Ask someone to look at the coin from a 
position at the edge of the basin which only just allows it 
to be seen. Having fixed the watcher in this position, draw 
the water out of the basin, which may be done by a syringe 
or straw, and the coin will disappear, though it has not been 
touched. It is in reality further under the edge of the basin, 
and cannot be seen. By pouring the water in again the 
coin may be made to reappear. 


A NOVEL WAY TO SLICE A PEAR* 

Hang a ripe pear about three or four feet above a table. 
Give anyone an ordinary dinner knife, and ask him to bisect 
the pear without raising the knife more 
than six inches above the table. When 
it is given up by everyone you can per¬ 
form the feat. When you hang the 
pear dip it into a glass of water. As 
soon as it is hung up a few drops will 
fall down the sides of the fruit and drop 
upon the table below. This gives the 
exact centre of gravity of the pear. 

Mark the spot where they fall in some 
way that you may know it again. When 
you show “ how it is done ” hold the 
blade of the knife horizontally about four inches off the table 
and directly over the marked spot. With the other hand set 
a light to the string supporting the pear. It will immediately 
fall, and impale and slice itself in two upon the upturned blade. 




THE JAPANESE BALL TRICK 



THE JAPANESE BALL TRICK, 

The performer has a round ball of wood, with a hole 
running through the centre of it. A string is threaded 
through the ball, one end of which the 
operator holds in his right hand, the 
^ "V' other in the left, the string being per¬ 

pendicular and strained fairly tightly. 
The natural result is that the ball, 
when allowed to fall from the top, will 
go straight to the bottom, and, in fact, 
when the string and ball are handed 
to an onlooker, it always does so, but 
when the performer holds the ends of 
the string, the ball can be made to 
drop quickly, or slowly, or to stop in 
the middle of its downward course, and move on again at the 
will of the performer. 

The secret is this, that, as well as the hole running straight 
through the centre of the ball, there is also another curved 
channel, the ends of which open into the straight channel. 
When the string and ball are handed to spectators, the string 
runs through the straight hole. When the operator handles 
it, in inserting the string he takes care to push it round the 
curved channel, but as the ends of this open into the ends of 
the straight channel, the string appears to be running through 
the straight channel, just as when handed to the uninitiated 
members of the audience. When the string runs through 
the curved channel it is only a matter of tightening or 
loosening it to make the ball drop slowly or quickly, to stand 
still, or go to the bottom. The illustration is of a ball cut in 
half and shows the two channels. 





A BRIDGE OF MATCHES 


MAGNETISED MARIONETTES* 

The marionettes suited to your purpose must be con¬ 
structed out of a visiting card for preference, and in the 
shape of dancing figures. When these are finished attach a 
needle behind each, the exact length of the figure, but which 
must not be seen by the audience. A stage is the next 
requisite. Cut a square hole in a piece of cardboard, behind 
which are all your properties. The chief of these is a 
magnet, and this placed above the needles, out of view r from 
the front, will enable you to introduce your figures on to the 
stage in an upright position and to leave them there. The 
gentle swaying motion ©f the needle, under the influence of 
the magnet, will cause the figures to appear to be dancing, 
and the effect, as seen by the audience, will be completely 
deceptive. The construction of the stage and accessories is 
a simple matter, and may be left with confidence in the 
hands of the reader. 


A BRIDGE OF MATCHES* 

A bridge of matches may be built scientifically and firmly, 
so that it will support many times its own weight. The 


photograph will give a good 
idea of the method of construc¬ 
tion, which is as follows: Put 
a match on the table, and lay 
across it, at right angles, two 
more, their heads just project¬ 
ing over the under match. 
Across and over these two lay 
the fourth. We have now a 
square, but the fourth match 
may be placed nearly half-way 



up the two others. Take 


A BOTTLE AND GLASS TRICK 315 

another match, raise the one first laid, and push the fifth 
under it and over the last one, number four. This one runs 
parallel with the others and inside the square. Do the same 
with a sixth match at the other side. The seventh goes 
across and over the two last laid, and the eighth at the end 
of these, but under them. Two more outside matches, con¬ 
tinuations of numbers two and three, are now placed, each 
going over number seven and under eight. The bridge is 
now half made, and you may follow the plan on to the end. 


TO EMPTY A GLASSFUL OF WATER WITH A 
BOTTLE ALSO FULL OF WATER. 

Fill an ordinary wine bottle with water and cork it with 
a cork, through which have been 
run two tubes (straws will do). 

They must be of such length that 
when the bottle is inverted, as in the 
illustration, the one straw reaches to 
the bottom of the glass and the other 
(which is held outside the glass) must 
be a little longer. The straw which 
is held into the glass must be stopped 
up—say, with a pellet of bread—till 
its end is under the water in the glass. 

Upon removing the stoppage in this 
straw the water will trickle out of the longer straw until the 
glass is empty, the bottle all the time remaining full. 



TO BORE A HOLE THROUGH A PIN WITH 
A NEEDLE. 

Run a needle, eye downwards, into the centre of a cork, 
placed in a bottle, leaving about half an inch of point-end of 



EGG SPINNING 


316 

needle exposed. Run a pin into the 
centre of a cork, leaving about half an 
inch of head-end exposed. Into the 
sides of the cork press the points of the 
blades of two pocket knives, opened so 
as to form, with the body of the knife, 
an obtuse angle. Place the pin, close 
up to its head, upon the point of the 
needle, and by opening or closing the 
blades of the knives, as may be re¬ 
quired, a balance can be obtained. 

The knives and cork may be set re¬ 
volving by a breath, and if kept spinning long enough the 
harder metal of the needle will bore through the pin. Many 
people may find this a neat little balancing experiment, but 
few will have the skill and patience to bore right through the 
pin. 



EGG SPINNING. 

A hard-boiled egg will spin very easily, particularly if 
when put in the saucepan to boil the egg is set in an upright 

position, with its larger end 
downwards, and wedged so that 
it cannot move in any direction. 
This forms a vacuum in the 
smaller end, which increases 
the balance of weight in the 
larger end. Take a plate or 
card tray upside-down in the 
right hand, and with the left 
spin the egg, large end down¬ 
wards, upon it. Revolve the plate rapidly in the opposite 
direction from that in which the egg is spinning. If this 
be done with judgment the egg may be kept spinning as 
long as is desired. 




A SCISSORS PUZZLE 


3U 


TO SUSPEND A GLASS FULL OF WATER* 


Take a piece of stiff cardboard, not too thick, and fix to 
its centre one end of a string with sealing wax. Press the 
cardboard firmly on to the rim of a glass absolutely filled 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 


with water. Raise the whole by the string (Fig. 1), and, 
surprising as it may seem, the glass of water will (if it be 
quite full and no air between it and the card) firmly adhere 
to the cardboard, and may even be set swinging, as in Fig. 2. 


A SCISSORS PUZZLE* 

Place the little fingers of both hands through the two 
finger-holes of a pair of scissors (Fig. 1), and turn the hands 



Fig. 1. 


Fig. 2. 





3 x8 THE TRAVELLING EGG 

over inwards towards the body until they come to position of 
Fig. 2. This can only be effected if in Fig. i the scissors 
rest on the first joint of each little finger. The uninitiated 
will make many futile attempts before discovering (if he ever 
does without being told) how this very simple trick is done. 


THE TRAVELLING EGG, 

If a boiled egg, which has had the top cut off, be spun on 
the rim of a soup-plate, 
and the plate moved round 
and round in the opposite 
direction to that in which 
the egg turns, the latter 
will continue spinning in¬ 
definitely, and will travel 
right round the rim of the 
plate. 






THE ART OF 


PLATE-SPINNING 



PLATE-SPINNING 


321 



PLATE-SPINNING. 

Illustrated by photographs of Mr. J. 
N. Maskelyne, specially taken for 
this work, and by a cinematograph 
series of spinning three plates and 
a basin. 

Plate-spinning is an accom¬ 
plishment in which the learner 
will find no difficulty in acquir¬ 
ing a proficiency sufficient to 
cause much amusement both to 
himself and to his friends. If 
he should be ambitious, he will 
find scope for a patient develop¬ 
ment of his skill over a number 
of years, and yet at the end of 
that time will still have some¬ 
thing more to learn if he would 
rival the famous professional en¬ 
tertainer, Mr. Maskelyne — by 
whose courtesy the writer is en¬ 
abled to present the illustrations 
which accompany these few lead¬ 
ing hints upon plate-spinning. 

There are very few profes¬ 
sional plate-spinners, and the 
reason is not far to seek. It is 
this: feats of spinning compli¬ 
cated and effective enough to 
perform before the critical pre¬ 
sent-day public, would require 
far more time to acquire than 
many more showy juggling feats. 
Hence it is that jugglers one and 
all seem unwilling to attempt to 
rival Mr. Maskelyne in what has 
now come to be looked upon as 
one of his own monopolies in the 
entertainment line, 
x 







































322 


PLATE-SPINNING 





Everyone knows Mr. Maskelyne to be the 
greatest living 
magician, but 
few, if any, 
know how he 
was first at¬ 
tracted to the 
subject of his 
life’s-work. 

Early in the 
last century the 
“ Professor of 
Cabalistics,” 

Signor Blitz, 
came over to 
this country, 
and, besides his 

COnj Uring Starting a plate with a twist given by thumb 
. . , on front of plate and second finger at back. 

tricks, pro¬ 
duced his en¬ 
tertainment of 
the “ Dancing 
Plates.” 

This is the 
first record of 


plate- spinning 
in England, 
though there is 
little doubt 
that professors 
of the art had 
been plying 
their vocation 


Reviving the spin of a plate, which must never 
be allowed to die down lower than that in 
this photo. An eccentric and circular pres¬ 
sure of the second finger is necessary. 
This cannot be taught—practice alone en¬ 
ables the learner to acquire it. 


long before this 
in Southern 
Europe. 

When Mr. 
Maskelyne, at 







PLATE-SPINNING 


323 




the age of about six or seven years, first saw the renowned 
Signor he was already an old man. 

It was owing to 
young Maskelyne 
having been very 
much struck by a 
certain trick, that 
the servants in his 
mother’s house¬ 
hold became in¬ 
volved in much 
trouble of a mys¬ 
terious kind ; for, 
in some unac¬ 
countable manner, 
the dinner plates, 
which were care¬ 
fully washed and 

deposited in their Starting the spin of a basin. Second finger and thumb 

usual place over- grasping the rim ’ 

night, were in the 
morning found, 
undisturbed truly, 
but with several 
large cracks run¬ 
ning across them 
from side to centre. 

This happened 
again and again, 
to the consterna¬ 
tion of the maids, 
who could only 
reiterate their in¬ 
nocence of any 
carelessness in 

handling the - 

Crockery. But, as It ' s n °t safe to allow the spin to dwindle lower than this, 
. . , when the basin is brought to a full upright spin by the 

the pitcher may Circular revolving pressure of the second finger. 


3 2 4 


PLATE-SPINNING 


be taken too often to the well, the surreptitious plate-spinner, 
who was, it is needless to say, young Maskelyne, was at 
length discovered at his tricks. 

Plate-spinning cannot be taught. All that can be done is 
to give a few hints. The rest the learner must acquire by 
practice. 

The illustrations, besides portraying Mr. Maskelyne in 
some of his most difficult feats, show his hands in the act of 
starting and spinning both a plate and a basin. A study of 
these will be of more service to the beginner than pages 
of instructions. 

The art of plate-spinning consists mainly in a well- 
regulated movement of the hands, and one of the first things 
to learn is, with the tip of the second finger, to be able 

to draw a 
circle about 
three inch¬ 
es in dia¬ 
meter ra¬ 
pidly upon 
the table. 
With prac¬ 
tice^ time 
goes on, 
proficiency 
in this di¬ 
rection will 
become 
natural. 
Each plate 
must be 
started 

spinning with a twist from finger and thumb, and then kept 
spinning byjgthe circular motion of the second finger from 
time to time. 



Spinning five plates and basin. 



PLATE-SPINNING 


325 


The im¬ 



port ant 
question 
as to size 
and qual- 
i t y of 
plates to 
be used 
may be 
answered 
at once. 

The learn¬ 
er will ex¬ 
perience 
but a 
quarter of 
the diffi¬ 
culty in 
spinning 
a large 
plate as 
compared 
with a 
small one, 

though the practised hand has more control, and can per¬ 
form cleverer tricks with a small than with a large plate. 

An ordinary common delft dinner plate, some ten or more 
inches in diameter, is recommended. The plates should be 
thick, and have smooth round edges. They must not be 
fluted, or scalloped at the edge, as it is only with a plain 
circular plate that spinning can succeed. 


Mr. Maskelyne increasing to six plates and a basin spinning 
simultaneously. 





326 


PLATE-SPINNING 



Blitz used the first finger to spin with, but Mr. Maskelyne 
uses the second, which he finds more sensitive of touch. 
The more prac¬ 
tice the better, 
and it should be 
regular. Most 
people can spare 
half an hour a 
day, and if this is 
devoted to prac¬ 
tice—on a din¬ 
ing table, with 
a moderately 
smooth surface 
without a cloth 
— the beginner 
should soon 
learn how to 
spin one plate 
with dexterity. 

There is plenty 
of exercise in the 
practice, and in 
cold weather half 
an hour at it will 
warm up the spinner as well as a half-mile run. From 
being able to keep up the spinning of one plate, you may 
advance to two, and at length to three. 


Mr. Maskelyne finds no difficulty in spinning two plates 
with his arms bound together. 









PLATE-SPINNING 


The time de¬ 
voted daily by 
Mr. Maskelyne 
to private prac¬ 
tice, when he 
was preparing 
to present his 
different com¬ 
binations, was 
eight hours. 

Quite as much 
time must be 
given by any of 
my readers be¬ 
fore attempting 
the superla¬ 
tively difficult 
feat of spinning 
several plates 

Mr. Maskelyne spins two plates up an incline on to a see-sa* 

across a bridge, 

and up a spiral incline four inches wide! 

A difficult trick, and very effective, is to spin one plate 
with each hand, the one revolving slowly and the other 
quickly. 

As the critic of a London daily paper once wrote, this 
being possible, so must it be possible to write simultaneously 
two letters on divers subjects, at’the same time, one with 
each hand. 

One may extend the field of spinning to basins and other 
crockery. A basin is easier to spin than a plate, because the 
centre of gravity is lower, and it has a better balance. What¬ 
ever is being spun, there is one acquirement which will be 
found most valuable, and that is to learn how to use both 
hands at once or alternately. Ambidexterity gives a great 
advantage to the plate-spinner. 

Mr. Maskelyne began by regular practice as a boy, and has 
continued it ever since, with the result that he can keep 
spinning about six small plates, each necessitating the aid of 





PLATE-SPINNING 


his hands every ten seconds; or he spins twelve basins, his 
finger visiting each every twenty seconds. 

The learner may, however, consider himself well advanced 
as an amateur if at the end of three months he can keep two 
plates spinning. Having learned one feat, hand and eye will 
accomplish others with less difficulty. 

However, accidents happen, and one must learn how 
to pick a plate up readily should it fall. The two hands 
must be used, and the plate quickly set spinning again, all in 
the twinkling of an eye, care being taken not to upset any 
others which may be on the go at the time. 



THE BRIDGE AND SPIRAL SPIN. 


This photograph was taken thirty-three years ago, when 
this feat was first produced. It is of great interest when 
compared with the other present-day portraits, as it shows 
that the master magician now looks scarcely a day older than 
he did three decades since. 




THE ART OF 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 

OR 

MANY FACES UNDER ONE HAT 





CHAPEAUGRAPHY; 

OR, MANY FACES UNDER ONE HAT. 

(Illustrated by photographs of Mons. Trewey, the great French enter¬ 
tainer, who perfected and made popular this accomplishment, which 
is suitable for amateurs of either sex; also several photographs of 
Mdlle. Patrice.) 

The art of making a number of shapes of hats out of the 
brim of a felt hat dates back to the year 1750. Tabarin, a 
French comedian, it is recorded in a book of that date, per¬ 
formed the feat of 
making some ten 
different hats, giving 
appropriate facial 
portraits beneath 
each, and using wigs 
and beards and the 
usual actor’s make¬ 
ups in order to em¬ 
phasise the various 
characters. 

In the year 1870 
Mons. Fusier, one 
of the cleverest of 
French comedian 
imitators, revived 
the “ Exercise of the 
Hat,” and he, also 
using make-up and 
wigs, gave some fif¬ 
teen different char¬ 
acter portraits with 

. Mons. F. Trewey showing the “chapeau,” or ring of 

the felt ring. prepared felt with which the “ hats,” are all made. 



3.H 



CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


332 

It was in the following year, 1871, that Mons. Trewey, 
happening to be engaged at the Eldorado Theatre at the 
same time as Fusier, saw him give his performance, and 
slight and unfinished as it was, the quick judgment and 
fertile brain of Trewey took a note of it and its possibilities 
as an attractive item of entertainment. 

So it was 1875 before Trewey practised, and with consider¬ 
able perseverance produced some thirty-two to thirty-five 
differently shaped hats. He also decided that, to make it a 
real artistic success, all the different faces of the various 
characters beneath the hats must be created by the panto¬ 
mime of the performer’s features, without a make-up of any 
kind. His performance was an immediate success, and led 
to engagements all over France—where it, together with 
shadowgraphy, became known by the name of Trewey ism— 
and in Britain, America, and all the leading European 
countries. 

Since then many drawing-room performers have added the 
“Twenty-five Faces” to their programmes, so that it is 
familiar to most of us. 

It is by no means difficult to acquire, and yet the amateur 
who goes in for it, though he may work it quite passably 
with three weeks’ practice, will find that he can always be 
improving upon the “faces” he makes under the hats, and 
ever devising new hats to put over new faces. 

A well-known English entertainer stated that he always 
used a simple ring of black overcoating cloth, cut by any 
tailor. The writer has tried this, as have also several of his 
friends, but without satisfactory results, and it is better to 
get the proper thing, even though the price seems a little 
stiff for a simple ring of felt. There is the compensating 
feature that the chapeau may be said never to wear out. 
One now in use has been performed with over 3,000 times 
in public, and is only just beginning to wear out. 

1 would advise my readers to have a cloak of black cloth, 
which may be lined with red or other coloured material. 
This can be made at home for a few shillings, and serves two 
purposes. It makes the performance appear of more im- 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


333 


portance, and also prevents the performer’s clothes from 
detracting from the effect of the character shown by the 
face and hat. 

For the nun a strip of white material, about five inches 
long by three inches wide, with the ends joined by elastic to 
slip over the forehead and round the head, is the only other 
accessory needed. 

I give a description of how to fold each of the hats. A 
close study, however, of each portrait in the series, and a few 
attempts before a looking-glass—bearing in mind that the 
hat is folded first , then placed upon the head—will enable 
anyone to manipulate them correctly. 

When this can be readily done without the aid of a mirror, 
the learner should place a looking-glass on the table and 
practise the expressions of Mons. Trewey’s portraits. When 
the expressions are acquired, the performer should learn to 
make them quickly without the mirror, consulting it 
occasionally to see that the same expression can be produced 
time after time at will. 

When one hat-and-face has been thoroughly mastered go 
on to the next. One character a day is a good average rate 
at which to learn. 

As soon as three or four have been acquired, practise 
doing them rapidly, one after the other, at first with a mirror 
and afterwards without. 

Many chapeaugraphers use various aids to obtain the 
different faces, such as grease paint, wigs, moustaches, black 
for wrinkles, etc. I would strongly advise readers, and 
particularly amateurs, to eschew these, and rely, as Mons. 
Trewey does, entirely upon their own skill. This makes the 
performance more clever, and it is far more convenient in 
a drawing-room simply to pull out your ring of felt and 
commence, than to have to first arrange a number of such 
accessories. 

When all the subjects shown have been perfectly learnt, 
one or two experimental performances may safely be given 
before friends. 

In introducing the entertainment, simply hand round the 


334 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


chapeau for inspection, explaining that you use only this and 
your own features in the impersonations of well-known 
characters—“ myself and others.” 

Give the name of the first subject. Turn quickly round, 
back to audience, make the hat, and assume facial expression 
instantaneously, for the effect depends upon the speed with 
which each new portrait is made. Turn sharply again to 
face audience, taking care not to alter the expression, and 
stand dead still long enough to count twelve; then relax 
features, pull off chapeau, and announce the next subject, 
and proceed as before. 

For the final subject pull the chapeau right over the head 
and round the neck; that is to say, put your head right through 
the hole in the chapeau, so that it rests in a ring round your 
neck upon the shoulders, at the same time announcing, 
“ Last, but not least—myself,” and bow yourself off. 

The illustrations are arranged in a very good order, but 
everyone must suit himself in this respect. The performer 
will soon learn which characters he makes the most of, and 
these should be given at intervals, so that neither all the 
effective nor all the less effective characters follow each 
other. Always bear in mind that the last three or four 
should be strong ones to finish off well. 

It is generally possible so to place a little pocket mirror 
upon a table behind one as to see each hat and face before 
turning round to the audience. This should be very small, 
and lie flat upon the table unseen by the audience, for the 
slightest idea of your having a glass to look into takes off 
much of the effect. 

As will be seen from the portraits of Mdlle. Patrice, on 
pp. 346-349, ladies may take up chapeaugraphy as well as 
gentlemen, or a lady and gentleman can give a very pretty 
joint performance, standing side by side and making alternate 
portraits. They can also make many “double pictures,” such as 
“ The Sign of the Cross ” (Mercia and Marcus), “ Lovers,” “ The 
Quarrel,” etc. New single or double subjects can frequently 
be devised. 

When a chapeau is first obtained the felt will be a little 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


335 

too stiff for easy use, and the hats when folded will spring 
of themselves undone, just at the awkward moment of 
turning to the audience. This is only to be obviated by 
leaving the chapeau for some hours in a very warm place; 
say hanging over a chair before the fire, to get all the heat 
possible without actually scorching it. At intervals pull it 
about and twist it up, squeeze it in the hands; in fact, do 
anything and everything short of actually tearing it up, to 
get the felt into soft working order. This is a most important 
practical tip, as the most experienced performer cannot 
manipulate a new chapeau without this softening process, and 
even after this the chapeau needs a month’s use before it gets 
into the pink of condition. 



The chapeau is simply put on the 
head without any folding. The front 
rim turned upwards, and back rim 
pulled downwards. 


Fig. 1. 

THE UNHAPPY MAN. 


Same as the last, but the felt more 
sharply bent upwards in front. 


Fig. 2. 

STRONG MAN OF “GRAND 


MARKET’ PARIS. 






CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


336 




Again the same, but placed in a 
jaunty sideways position upon the 
head. 


Fig. 3. 

THE LIVELY MAN. 


The dustman (Fig. n) hat, but 
placed sideways upon the head. 


Fig. 4. 

FREDERIC LEMAiTRE. 


The same hat as for the Scotch¬ 
man (Fig. 7), but placed the reverse 
way upon the head. 


Fig. 5. 

EDOUARD XI. 





CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


337 



Pull one end of chapeau through 
the hole and draw fairly tight. 
Place the hat on head with the 
inner edge round forehead, the 
pulled* through side being at the 
back. The cap should be a little 
to the right side of head. 


This is the Scotchman (Fig. y) 
hat with the outer edge of the front 
rim bent downward. 


Fig. 6. 

A POLISH BEGGAR. 


Fig. 7. 

THE SCOTCHMAN. 


This is made in the same way as 
the schoolmaster (Fig. i y), but the 
opposite edges are only pulled through 
about ij inches, and are placed at 
the side of head instead of back and 
front. A cringing, subtle expression 
is necessary. 



Y 


Fig. 8. 

THE JESUIT. 










338 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 



This hat is made with five twists. 
The first as for the beadle, then 
twist the wide end through the hole 
three times, and then the other end 
once more through, this leaves the 
point seen at side of hat sticking 
up. If wearing a cloak, give it a 
sweeping throw across from right 
to left and strike a jaunty attitude 
—head thrown back, with a laugh¬ 
ing, devil-may-care expression. 


Fig. 9. 

THE TOREADOR. 

Take one edge of hat, thrust it 
through the hole, and pull tight. 
Then twist it once again through 
the hole and pull tight. Place upon 
the head, showing no hair. Screw 
up eyes and mouth and hold up 
two fingers, as in Fig. io, and you 
have a good Chinaman. 


Fig. 10. 

CHINAMAN. 

Pull one edge of felt well through 
the hole, so that the edge of hole at 
the pulled-through part just rests on 
forehead. Pull downwards and out¬ 
wards the corners at back. Open 
mouth, and put hand to it as though 
shouting. 




Fig. 11. 

DUSTMAN, OR A FISHMONGER 
OR SAILOR. 


339 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


This hat is that of the dustman 
(Fig. ii), only put on the head the 
reverse way, and the sides pulled 
downwards in front to give the 
roundness of the bonnet. A smiling 
or serious face can be given, accord¬ 
ing to which gives the wearer the 
more “ feminine ” aspect. 



Fig. 12. 

A SALVATION LASSIE. 


This hat is that of the Jesuit (Fig. 8) put upside down 



Fig. 13. 

THE MISER. 



Fig. 14. 

THE MISER, OR A DUTCHMAN. 


upon the head, and the front and back edges then pulled up 
at a sharp angle from forehead and back of head. 








340 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 





Fig. 15. 

A COSTERMONGER. 


The same hat as 
(Fig. 8). 


This hat is made just as the 
Scotchman (Fig. 7), but is placed 
upon the head with the back to the 
front and the point tucked under the 
hat on the forehead. The rim round 
the back of hat is bent down a little 
all round, as in Pig. 6. 


the Jesuit 



r 



Fig. 17. 

THE SCHOOLMASTER. 


Fig. 16. 

ITALIAN PRIEST. 

Take hold of two opposite edges 
of the felt, and draw them through 
the centre hole about 3J inches, and 
place upon the head with the drawn- 
through edges exactly in front and 
behind. This makes a good repre¬ 
sentation of a “mortar-board.” In 
the photograph the corners of the 
hat are somewhat dropped. This 
need not be. If they are given a 
slight pull they will stand out quite 
straight. 









CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


34i 


This is the same as the above (Fig. 
17), except that you take the two 
points and turn them into the hole 
at the top, and pull out the crown 
a little, and place what is at the 
centre of forehead in the school¬ 
master at the ear in this figure. 



Fig. 18. 

THE FRENCH CORPORAL. 


This is the Wellington hat—when used as such it needs a 
serious face beneath it—and is made just as for the school- 



Fig. 19. 

NAVAL OFFICER, OR WELLINGTON. 


Fig. 20. 

A FRENCH BANK PORTER. 


master (Fig. 17), but is placed the other way up upon the 
head, and the points pulled sharply outwards towards back 
and front. 




34 2 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


These are again both the Wellington hat, put on side- 



Fig. 21. 

THE DRUNKARD. 


ways, the hair ruffled with 
expression assumed. 



Fig. 22. 

ANOTHER DRUNKARD. 


the hand, and a drunken 



The same hat as Figs. 13 and 14, 
but with a quite different expression, 
“ Standing at attention.” 


Fig. 23. 

THE RAW RECRUIT (FRENCH). 






CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


343 


The Roman soldier is the same 
as the recruit with the centre of the 
back pulled down with the hand 
very sharply until it comes so far 
through as to reach right down to 
the neck and round to the ears 
when placed upon the head. 




Fig. 24. 

THE ROMAN SOI.DIER. 


Fig. 25. 

THE CLOWN. 

This is the chapeau simply placed 
upon the head with the outer rim bent 
very slightly upwards all round. 


This is the Scotchman cap put 
on upside down, with the point 
straight up in the air, and the rim 
from centre of forehead to back of 
head turned up all round. 


Fig. 26. 


THE IDIOT. 




344 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 



This hat is the same as the Scotch¬ 
man, but with the front made to be 
more circular than in the Scotchman, 
which is more oval in shape. The 
head must be quite facing the 
audience, so that the point down at 
back is entirely hidden. 


Fig. 27. 

THE PERSIAN. 


Fold the chapeau in half. The 
edges of the outer and inner rims 
now form two half - circles. The 
outer edges must be bent upwards 
about an inch or a little more all 
round. Take the two ends of the 
figure you now have, one in each 
hand, and draw round the head 
with the turned-up edge to head. 

When the two hands meet catch 
both the ends in fingers of right 
hand, pull the expression, and you 
have the Irishman. Fig. 28. 

THE IRISHMAN. 




CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


'345 



Fig. 29. 

THE SPANIARD. 


This is the clown hat (Fig. 25) put 
on back to the front, and the point 
bent down entirely out of sight between 
the hat and the head. 


The felt is folded in half and 
then bent round with the outer 
edge of the ring downwards on to 
the forehead, a tie clip holding the 
two ends together at the back. 
This also serves, with a jolly face, 
for an Irishman. 



Fig. 30. 


A TURKISH FEZ. 







346 CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


This is a difficult hat 



Fig. 31. 

NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. 


to do well, and it is wrongly made 
even by most professional performers. 
The correct style is to pull one side 
through hole until it stands up 
straight, so that the edge of hole 
where it was pulled through will 
rest on forehead, just as for dust¬ 
man (see Fig. 31), just over the curl. 
Place upon head and press up the 
back, which will be hanging down, 
until it is parallel with this front 
piece, only stands higher and larger 
behind it. Pull down the two side 
corners slightly. Do not forget to 
pull through a tuft of hair over 
centre of forehead, and assume a 
stern expression. 


I said earlier in the chapter ladies may well practise 
chapeaugraphy, and I here give a few subjects, Figs. 32 to 
39, as shown by Mdlle. Patrice, who practises chapeaugraphy 
only as a hobby. They include several particularly English 
subjects, such as the costermonger, which are not in the 
series of Mons. Trewey, and prove that a lady may be 
equally successful as a man in this art. 


This is the same hat as in Fig. 31 
of Mons. Trewey, and is a wonder¬ 
fully good likeness of the “great little 
corporal.” 



Fig. 32. 

NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


347 




This hat is made as that in Fig. 11. 


Fig. 33. 

THE LISTENING MONK. 

(From the celebrated picture 
“ A Good Story.”) 

The chapeau simply set upon the 
head a little towards the right-hand 
side. 


Fig. 34. 



A COWBOY SCANNING THE 
HORIZON. 


Take edge of chapeau, pull twice 
through centre hole, and set on head 
with the pulled-through edge on fore¬ 
head. Tuck in all the rest of chapeau 
as tightly as possible round the back 
of head to make the “Coster” (Fig. 35). 


Fig. 35. 


A COSTERMONGER. 



34 § 


CHAPEAUGRAPHY 



Fig. 36. 

THE DUSTMAN. 


Made as Fig. 9. 



Made as Fig. n, but representing 
the worthy dustman actually plying 
his trade. 



Fig. 37. 

THE TOREADOR. 


A strip of white linen is laid across 
the forehead, and one edge of chapeau 
bent in to come about an inch through 
the edge of centre hole, and the face 
pushed through the centre hole to 
make “ a Nun.” 


Fig. 38. 


A NUN. 




CHAPEAUGRAPHY 


349 


Made as Fig. io. The point at 
back is made by pulling through the 
second time a little more tightly than 
Mons. Trewey has done in Fig. io. 



Fig. 39. 

CHING CHING CHINAMAN, 


I 







THE ART OF 


PAPER FOLDING 




PAPER FOLDING. 


KNOWN UNDER THE NAMES OF “PAPIER MULTIFORME,” 
“CHINESE PAPER,” “TROUBLE WIT,” ETC. 

(Illustrated by photographs of some thirty-five figures as made by 
Mr. Ellis Stanyon.) 

Of all the accomplishments of an entertaining sort which it 
has been my pleasure to describe the subject of this chapter 
is the easiest to learn. 

With a properly folded sheet of paper, these illustrated 
hints, and a couple of hours’ practice, anyone should have 
“ broken the back ” of the task, even if they have also 
“ broken the back ” of one or two of the folds of their first 
“ paper.” 

Each time the paper is handled the learner will gain little 
artistic points of manipulation, and also from time to time 
tumble across new figures to make, for the possibilities are 
endless; so the fact that a first acquirement is easy need not 
cause any to scorn this pastime. 

The art of paper folding is very ancient, having been a 
favourite amongst the Chinese a thousand years ago, and in 
modern times that consummate French artist Trewey has 
shown the papier multiforme all over the world. Recently 
Mr. Ellis Stanyon has popularised it in London, and it is to 
him that I am indebted for my acquaintance with the 
practical working of the accomplishment. He has also 
kindly sat for the photographs which illustrate this chapter. 

The performer may prepare his own paper, and will find 
this cheaper than buying, if he goes by the following direc¬ 
tions, but I would strongly advise him to buy the first one or 
two ready folded, for two reasons: first, the right quality 

353 


Z 


354 


PAPER FOLDING 


of paper is not likely to be found, unless one has a sample 
to match it with ; and, secondly, the folds must be most 
accurately made, which anyone will be better able to do after 
handling a properly made one, and so knowing the various 
little necessities through manipulation. The cost of a ready- 
folded paper is about 4s. (one dollar) at Hamley’s,* but when 
purchasing ask for paper with corners folded in the “ Stanyon 
Method,” as so folded the paper is much easier to work with, 
and forms better figures. 

To prepare, take a sheet of thick cartridge paper, fifty-four 
inches by thirty-six inches, and fold it as in Fig. 1, which 
explains itself. 

The folds must be pressed down regularly and firmly until 
quite flat. The size is thus reduced to twelve inches by fifty- 
four inches. Now this must be folded in one-inch pleats, 



Fig. 1 . 


How to prepare the paper. 



Fig. 2. 

Paper folded and squeezed 
together ready for per¬ 
forming with. 


each pressed accurately and firmly, until the whole when 
squeezed together is as Fig. 2, and when drawn out is as in 
Fig. 3. The “Stanyon” corner folding cannot well be 
described, but will be immediately clear when one folded as 


Hamley s Magical Saloon, Holborn, London, stock these under the very 
inappropriate name of “Trouble Wit.” 




PAPER FOLDING 


355 

explained here and a bought one with “Stanyon” corners are 
compared. 

The first series of figures are shown with the paper as we 
now have it. 


A 


The Venetian blind is made by hold¬ 
ing the paper at one end and allowing 
the other to fall as in Fig. 3. 


c 



Fig.. 3. 

Paper ready to work with, 
but drawn out. 

A VENETIAN BLIND. 


AB 


By drawing together corners A and 
B the church window is shown (Fig. 4). 



C D 

Fig. 4. 


A NORMAN CHURCH WINDOW. 














356 


PAPER FOLDING 


A B 

Still holding corners^i? 
together, also bring to¬ 
gether CD , and you have 
the table mat (Fig. 5). 


CD 


Fig. 5. 

A TABLE MAT. 



Now push the hands holding 
A B and CD together, concertina- 
wise, and you have a rosette or a 
buckle for a lady’s shoe, which¬ 
ever you are pleased to call it 
(Fig. 6). 



Fig. 6. 

A ROSETTE. 


Let go both ends and 
grasp corners A and C 
in one hand, leaving B D 
as far apart as possible, 
and you have an excel- B 
lent fan (Fig. 7). 


D 


A C 

Fig. 7. 



A FAN. 






PAPER FOLDING 


357 



C D F 

Fig. 8. 

The paper with one fold open ready to 
make Figs. 10 to 15. 


Fig. 9. 

Showing the Stanyon 
bent-in corners under 
X. The first fold of 
paper is here half 
opened. 


Draw round the -corners E 
and F till they almost meet, 
and grasp the paper lower down, 
as in Fig. io. This makes a 
good representation of a break¬ 
fast delicacy—a mushroom. 


Fig. 10. 



Before any more figures can be 
one of the folds of the paper as in 

A BE 


made you must open out 
Fig. 8. 



A MUSHROOM. 










358 


PAPER FOLDING 



Fig. II. 

THE CANDLESTICK. 


Grasp the paper together at end 
AC, and draw round point B to meet 
A and C. Take in right hand and 
place to shoulder, so showing a large 
epaulette (^Fig. 12). 



Fig. 12. 

AN EPAULETTE. 







PAPER FOLDING 


3 59 


Release above and draw round 
point B till it meets point D , and 
you have a good parachute or 
street lamp (Fig. 13). 


Fig. 13. 

A STREET LAMP. 



• 

Ku flf 

This is the same as the street lamp, 

HI] 1 If Jr^* | 

with the exception that the bottom of | 


figure is held more open, and the whole 


placed above the head to lend effect. 


• 

Fig. 14. 




A BUSBY. 





360 


PAPER FOLDING 




Make the candlestick (Fig. 
11) again, but draw points B 
and D about five inches apart 
and then hold upon the 
head, so making an excellent 
Welshwoman’s hat (Fig. 15). 


Fig. 15. 

Welshwoman’s hat. 


For the next set of figures one more fold in paper must be 
undone, as in Fig. 16. 


A BEG 


C D F H 

Fig. 16. 

Paper with two folds open. 


Fig. 17. 

Second fold half open, show* 
ing “Stanyon corners.” 






PAPER FOLDING 


361 


Draw round points B and D till they 
meet and you have an Oriental water- 
pot, which you can best show by holding 
upon the shoulder, as in Fig. 18. 


Fig. 18. 

ORIENTAL WATERPOT. 


Hold Fig. 18 upside down upon the 
head and you have a hat similar to 
those worn by a certain class of Chinese 
mandarins. 


Fig. 19. 

CHINESE MANDARIN. 




Hold the paper by points BD as far 
apart as possible, compatible with A C 
being as near together as possible. This 
gives the lamp shade in Fig. 20. 



Fig. 20. 


A LAMP SHADE. 















362 


PAPER FOLDING 


A garden seat is the paper 
just as in Fig. 16, but held as in 
Fig. 21. 


H 

Fig. 21. 

A GARDEN SEAT. 



Draw round points G and H to 
meet, so that EF meet and B and 
D meet. This gives Fig. 22—a flower 
vase. 



Fig. 22. 

A FLOWER VASE. 


Hold together points E and F and 
G and H and you have a grocer’s 
sugar scoop (Fig. 23). 



Fig. 23. 

a grocer’s sugar scoop. 









PAPER FOLDING 


363 



Open another fold of the paper and you have Fig. 24, 
which, when squeezed together, is like Fig. 25. 

J A BEG 


K C D F H 

Fig. 24. 

Paper with three folds open. 


Fig. 25. 

Three folds open, but squeezed up. 


Squeeze up as in Fig. 25 
and draw round the side 
J A to meet E B, and K C 
to FD, and hold as in Fig. 
26, thus making a saucepan. 



Fig. 26. 

A SAUCEPAN. 


The saucepan placed upon 
the head as in Fig. 27 depicts 
the hat of a French recruit or 
the late head-dress of the London 
postman. 



Fig. 27. 

'A FRENCH RECRUIT. 







364 


PAPER FOLDING 


B 

Release this and grasp the 
sides AB and CD , drawing 
them round to position in Fig. 

28, and you have a Dutch oven a 
or cosy corner. 


Fig. 28. 

A DUTCH OVEN. 



Drawing round the side JAB EG 
until it meets KCDFH make a garden 
seat under a tree (Fig. 29). 



Fig. 29. 

A GARDEN SEAT. 









PAPER FORDING 


365 





J A BE 


Fold down the fold the sides of which 
are in Fig. 24 marked EG and FH, 
leaving paper as in Fig. 30. 


Bring round side F D to 
meet KC, and EB to meet J A, 
so making a bowl (Fig. 31). 


Fig. 31. 

A WASH BOWL. 


Turn the bowl upside down 
upon the table and you have a 
cake (Fig. 32). 


Fig. 32. 


K C D F 

Fig. 30. 

One fold at each side open 
ready to make Figs. 31 to 
37. 


A CAKE. 






3 66 


PAPER FOLDING 


Place the cake upon your head, press¬ 
ing the bottom edges a little inward, 
and you have a hat like that worn by 
the Shah-zadeh of Persia (Fig. 33). 


Fig. 33. 

THE SHAH-ZADEH. 



Take off the Shah-zadeh’s 
hat, turn it upside down, 
and draw the hands apart, 
and it will open, concertina- 
wise, into a baby’s bath. By 
drawing the hands nearer 
together or further apart 
you can make baths for big 
or little babies (Fig. 34). 



Fig. 34. 

baby’s bath. 


Remove one hand, and allow the end 
which thus opens to drop down so as to 
rest on a table, and you have a miniature 
sentry box (Fig. 35). 



Fig. 35. 

A SENTRY BOX. 








PAPER FOLDING 


367 



Fig. 36. 

CHINESE LANTERN. 


Release and make the same sides, 
JABE and KCDF , meet, but this 
time backwards, and you have a 
pair of wheels (Fig. 37). 


Fig. 37. 

A PAIR OF WHEELS. 



The last two folds, viz. one on each side, must be opened, 
bringing paper to position of Fig. 38. 


L JA BE G 



M KC D F H 


Fig. 38. 

All four folds open. 


G 



M 

Fig. 39. 

Paper, as in Fig. 38, when 
squeezed up. 








3 68 


PAPER FOLDING 


Draw round side /,JABEG 
to meet MKCDFH and you 
see a gigantic cracker (Fig. 
40). 


Release and bring together 
sides AB and CD , but the 
reverse way from above, and 
you have a pair of paddle- 
boxes (Fig. 41). 

Fig. 41. 

PADDLE-BOXES. 




Fig. 40. 

A SMALL (?) CRACKER. 


Hold the paddle-boxes as in 
Fig. 42, and you have a dumb¬ 
bell which, were it solid, would 
trouble even the great Sandow 
to lift. 



Fig. 42. 


A DUMBBELL. 





PAPER FOLDING 


369 


Release and bring together 
sides LJA and BE G, allowing 
the other side, M K G D F H, 
just to touch the ground, and 
everyone will instantly say, “ A 
fireplace” (Fig. 43). 


Fig. 43. 

A FIREPLACE. 



Grasp the sides AJ and 
BE and bring them together 
in one hand ; in the other 
take sides CK and DF\ hold 
the figure so made over the 
head and you are dressed 
ready to apply for the 
position of a beefeater at 
the Tower of London (Fig. 
44)- 



Fig. 44. 

A BEEFEATER. 


A Norwegian peasant’s head¬ 
dress is shown by holding the 
beefeater hat at the back of the 
head (Fig. 45). 



Fig. 45. 

NORWEGIAN HEADGEAR. 


2 A 




370 


PAPER FOLDING 


Fig. 46 has a different 
set of folds open, which the 
reader who has practised the 
foregoing will easily discover 
for himself, and opens up 
possibilities of other figures 
too numerous to give here, 
but which each must plan 
out for himself. 



Fig. 46. 

ANOTHER CANDLESTICK. 


Make your bow, and thank your friends for their apprecia¬ 
tion of your efforts to amuse. 





THE ART OF 


SHADOWGRAPHY 






SHADOWGRAPHY. 


ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE HANDS OF 
MONS. TREWEY IN SOME OF HIS BEST- 
KNOWN SILHOUETTES. 

The art of making shadows for 
amusement is almost as old as the 
sun, whose rays gave light for the 
earliest shadow-throwers. Its pre¬ 
sent perfection is due principally 
to the skill of a clever Frenchman, 
who has raised it to a high position 
among popular entertainments. 

Mons. Trewey, whose portrait 
heads this page, has done more in 
the way of inventing and improving 
novel drawing-room amusements 
than any other man of his day. Conjuring, Juggling, Chapeau- 
graphy, and Shadowgraphy owe much to his versatile genius. 

It was in Belgium that he picked up his first knowledge of 
the art of Shadowgraphy. He soon saw that if the fingers 
were persistently exercised, they could be made so supple as 
to create many more figures than were then attempted, and 
he also conceived the idea of making his shadows move. He 
soon arranged regular pantomimes with his hands, intro¬ 
ducing in all over three hundred different figures of people 
and animals. It is therefore a privilege and pleasure to be 
able to illustrate this chapter with hints gathered from Mons. 
Trewey’s own lips. 

All the photographs (except those of the eight exercises, 
Figs. I to 8, which are from the hand of an amateur after 
less than one week’s practice) show Trewey’s hands in the 
act of making some of his best shadow-pictures, and these 

373 



374 


SHADOWGRAPHY 


the reader can study and imitate if he desires to master the 
art of Shadowgraphy. 

Shadowgraphy can be learnt by any person who has a taste 
for it with perseverance in less than a month. The profiles 
of celebrities will of course require great practice and memory. 

At the outset, the student should exercise all the fingers of 
each hand upon all possible occasions, after the examples 
given here (Figs. I to 8), and also practise hard to be able at 
will to move every joint or part of the fingers and hands, and to 
be always ready to find the position necessary for any subject. 

At first assistance will be required from the opposite hand, 
to bend the fingers, but after a time the amateur will find 



Fig. 3. 


Fig. 4. 






SHADOWGRAPHY 


375 



Fig. 7. Fig. 8. 

that the fingers and muscles of the hand become soft and 
under such control that the hand will readily assume these 
positions, and the fingers will work independently, with 
scarcely any effort. When this facility is acquired certain 
accessories must be procured. 

The Light.—An ordinary candle will give all the light that 
is necessary to make good shadows in an average-sized room. 
Oil lamps are to be avoided, as the glass chimneys break up 
the light, and so cause blurred shadows. 








SHADOWGRAPHY 


M 


\— 1 


37^ 

A small bright light is what is wanted, and a good wax 
candle gives this better than a commoner article. 

Mr. Frank Kennard uses a very ingenious and handy 
apparatus (Fig. 9), which I can recommend to any of my 
readers who seriously study Shadow- 
graphy. “ The light,” says Mr. Kennard, 
“is a small but very powerful electric lamp; 
it throws a very distinct and sharp shadow, 
without blurred edges, and is far superior 
to candle, oil lamp, or acetylene. Although 
the latter produces a very good deep picture, 
its burners are so liable to give trouble, on 
account of the corrosion, and the smell is 
anything but pleasant in a drawing-room, 
•fcn A glance at the illustration will show its 

character. The accumulator, which stands 
..^ 5 .. . ,J on the floor, is a Headland’s patent eight 
volts, on the front of which two straps form 
a socket, into which an upright rod made of 
brass tube—telescopic, so as to get the most convenient height 
—and on the top a brass hood is fitted, which contains a two 
and a half candle power six-volt lamp, specially made with 
thick filament to stand the heavy discharge from an eight- 
volt accumulator—a small switch is fitted to it to turn on the 
light when wanted—an arm on a swing joint, with a spring 
clip at its extremity to hold house or looking-glass, etc., is 
attached to upright about six inches below the hood, and 
about six inches lower is another carrying a small tray to 
hold the few accessories which are necessary. The whole 
apparatus, which is of my own design, was made for me by 
Headland and Headland, electrical engineers, High Road, 
Leyton, Essex, and has been in constant use for six or seven 
years. It can be made for about £5. Anyone can recharge 
the accumulator from an ordinary incandescent electric light 
with very little trouble, and I have nothing but praise for it, 
and consider it by far the best to be had, combining as it 
does great portability with efficiency.” 

The Screen. —A sheet of white longcloth or nainsook, about 


Fig. 9. 




SHADOWGRAPHY 


377 

four feet square, is large enough to project the pictures upon 
in a room. It may be fixed into a bamboo framework ; or it 
can be hung by strings from its two top corners run over 
nails in the walls, or over cornice poles; or an ordinary sheet 
may be nailed to the wall. Along the bottom must be 
attached a small roller to keep the whole hanging taut and 
square. It is a very good plan to paint the cloth with chalk. 
This makes the screen very opaque, and shows clearer 
shadows. For those who desire a smart, yet very serviceable 
and portable framework, the following description will be of 
use: It is constructed of two tripod table stands—without 
tops, of course—into each of which a brass tube four feet long 
fits, and across the top another brass tube four feet long, with 
angle corners made to drop into the uprights, holding a sheet 
six feet six inches long by three feet six inches wide; into a 
hem at the bottom a piece of brass tube is fitted, which serves 
to keep the sheet stretched, and does away with the necessity 
of tying or other means of stretching. The whole apparatus 
does up in a very compact form, four feet long and six inches 
in circumference, and can be put up in less than a minute. 

Position of Hands between Light and Screen.— The 
correct position of the hands is about three feet from the flame 
of the candle and four feet from the screen. If a bright 
acetylene lamp be used and an eight-foot screen, the position 
would be five feet from lamp and eight feet from screen. How¬ 
ever, there is no fixed rule about this, as the size of figures 
desired and the brilliance of light must be taken into account. 
Everyone must gauge these points for themselves, bearing in 
mind that the nearer the flame, the larger and less distinct 
the shadow upon the screen, and the nearer to the screen the 
hands are placed, the smaller but sharper will be the picture 
thrown. 

If when the hands are placed into position for one of the 
shadows—following as accurately as possible Mons. Trewey’s 
hands in the illustrations—the result is not quite correct, turn 
the hands one way or the other a little, or press out or in a 
finger, as the case may be, until the right shadow is cast. 

When all the subjects have been worked several times 


SHADOWGRAPHY 


378 


accurately by the illustrations, they must be memorised and 
worked through without help, only referring in case of 
difficulty to the photograph. 

To remember and be able to make all the figures quickly 
—in fact instantaneously, one after the other— is the principal 
charm in Shadowgraphic displays. 


Requisites. —For the pictures here given certain accessories 
are required. If these are cut out of leather they will be 
found to be easier to the hands in use, but cardboard, wood, 
or metal will serve the purpose. Their shapes and sizes will 
be seen from the photographs, and if cardboard be used can 
easily be manufactured in an hour or two. 



Fig. 10 . 

THE ELEPHANT. 


Try to show the 
elephant’s eye on the 
screen. This can easily 
be done with a little 
practice. 


Make the swan 
turn his neck and 
clean his feathers and 
dive his head to catch 
a fish in the water. 
During this time 
make the tail shake 
very quickly. 




SHADOWGRAPHY 


379 



To show the turtle 
have a piece of wood to 
make the ground on the 
screen. 


A TURTLE. 



In showing the parrot do not for- / 
get when you make the body move \ 
to move the tail also. 


A PARROT. 


For the bird move 
the fingers, making 
the two wings move 
regularly, and go from 
right to left and vice 
versa. This should 
follow the parrot, as 
it then appears that 



the parrot flies. 




3§ o 


SHADOWGRAPHY 


In showing the cat 
move little finger as 
if he cocked one ear 
down and looked on 
one side. Afterwards 
make him clean his 
neck by a graceful 
movement, and again 
he may be made to 
clean his tail. 



Fig. 15. 

A CAT. 



The rabbit’s ears and legs must move at the same time. 

He can first be made 
large upon the screen, 
and whilst kicking 
and struggling the 
hands brought nearer 
and nearer to screen, 
somakinghim smaller 
and smaller till he 
disappears altogether 
by the hands being 
drawn out of the edge 
of the rays of light. 



SHADOWGRAPHY 


r 


For the snail have 
a piece of wood to 
make the ground, as 
for the turtle, and 
in making him walk 
move the ears one 
after the other. 



Fig. 17. 

THE SNAIL. 


The Dog.—After making the ears move also move the nose 
a little, as if he sniffed. He next snatches a 
bone (for the imitation of the bone put at 
once the first finger 
of the right hand 
between the two hands 
which form the mouth 
of the dog). Make 
him eat, and afterwards 
show the mouth open 
with the tongue out. 



Fig. 18. 

A DOG. 



Fig. 19. 

THE ANGLER. 




SHADOWGRAPHY 


382 

The scene opens with the man in the boat holding the 
rod and line. He appears to see a fish in the water, and 
draws up the rod, showing fish at end of the line (the fish 
was there all the time, but hanging below the light). He 
dips the line in again, and struggles with another bite, till the 
position is as in Fig. 20. Then the fish pulls so hard that 



the boat is about to capsize, as in Fig. 21 (drop the boat), 
and a monster head appears out of the water (the left hand 



bringing up the cardboard crocodile), and swallows the 
fisherman. 


SHADOWGRAPHY 



383 

To make the drunkard, first 
show your two hands free, take 
the hat, form the head, take the 
umbrella, put under the arm, 
take the bottle, look well, smell 
it, and drink two or three times, 
throw away the bottle, wipe the 
mouth with handkerchief, blow 
the nose with eccentric move¬ 
ment, and disappear. 


Fig. 22. 

THE DRUNKARD. 



Make the parson come up through 
the pulpit. He speaks, moves the 
head, and then thumps as he grows 
enthusiastic. Afterwards make him 
very excited, and then more calm, 
and, turning the hand, make him go 
down through pulpit. ^ 

THE PARSON. 



For the school¬ 
master practise well 
any characteristic 
movements your im¬ 
agination directs,such 
as,havingasmall table 
in front of him, he 
knocks upon it with 
fingers, afterwards 
drinking from a glass, 
sneezes, takes snuff, 
blows nose with hand¬ 
kerchief, takes hat off, 
etc., and disappears. 


3 8 4 


SHADOWGRAPH Y 





Fix hands as the 
Fig. 25 shows, and 
make the move¬ 
ment of galloping. 


The duck in the 
rear attacks the first 
one by pecking his 
neck, whereupon he 
retaliates, and a fight 
ensues. 



Fig. 26. 

QUARRELSOME 

DUCKS. 



Fig. 27. 

THE ROPE-WALKER. 


First make the danseuse walk 
and then jump once or twice. If 
possible have music or sing a polka, 
and make the figure dance in good 
time with it. Now chalk the two 
feet, raising one at a time and 
rubbing with the tip of thumb. 
Next the lady dances with feet on 
the rope, sits on the rope, kicks the 
feet to meet the head, and at once 
disappears. 



SHADOWGRAPHY 385 

The Clown and his Don¬ 
key. — The performer may 
give the following commands 
aloud, making the figures suit 
the actions to the words : (1) 
Give me your hand ; (2) 

Stand; (3) Kiss me. Then 
whip him ; fight; make the 
clown take the donkey on his 
shoulder and exit. 

The Pantomime .—A gentleman comes and knocks at the 
door. The servant appears above with candlestick, speaks 



Fig. 29. 

with him, and comes down, kisses, opens the door, both 
come in. Directly a policeman arrives, the servant sees 
him, so speaks to him. Policeman asks for a drink, servant 



Fig. 30. 



Fig 28. 

CLOWN AND HIS DONKEY. 


2 B 


Fig. 31. 


SHADOWGRAPHY 


386 

comes out with a bottle, policeman drinks, servant comes 
near him and kisses, etc., he hears the clarinet, and flies, 
the servant goes in. The clarinetist comes on the scene, the 
servant tells him to go, but he plays again, so the servant 
with her nightcap arrives with a broom and knocks him, but 
he plays again, so the servant pours water from a jug over 
his head, and all disappear. 

Here are a few portraits which may lead the reader on to 
making many others of celebrities, either of public people or 
those locally well known. 




Fig. 32. 

THE LATE QUEEN VICTORIA. 


Fig. 33. 

MR. GLADSTONE. 


Fig. 34. 


Fig. 35. 




MR. CHAMBERLAIN. 


ROCHEFORT. 


SHADOWGRAPHY 


387 



Fig. 37. 

BISMARCK. 


Fig. 36. 

H. M. STANLEY. 



Fig. 38. 

GENERAL BOOTH. 


Fig. 39. 

NAPOLEON. 



The field for variety of subjects is limited only by the 
range of ideas and ingenuity of the performer. The amateur 
who has the patience to do all these figures will have very 
little difficulty in devising many more. Ladies can make 
hand-shadows just as well as men—often better—for piano 
playing renders a woman’s finger-joints much looser than 
those of the average man. 






SOME USEFUL BOOKS ON CONJURING 
AND KINDRED ARTS. 


There are many excellent books on conjuring.* As a rule, 
however, the descriptions of tricks and how they are per¬ 
formed, whilst quite intelligible to anyone conversant with 
the general principles of sleight-of-hand and deception, are 
yet not detailed enough to instruct beginners in the methods 
they must employ to create the various illusions successfully. 

“MODERN MAGIC” and “MORE MAGIC.” 

By Professor Hoffmann. 

For many years Professor Hoffmann has held the field as 
the standard writer upon natural magic, and his two books, 
Modern Magic and More Magic , cover almost the whole 
range of known tricks up to the date of the publication of 
the latter in 1889. But time slips on apace, and American 
conjurers have created a vogue for numerous sleights with 
coins and cards, notably those which are exhibited by means 
of the continuous back and front palms and passes. These 
and other novelties are not to be found in the older works, 
but the amateur who desires to increase his general pro¬ 
gramme can go to no better standard source than this. 

“ MAGIC.” By H. R. Evans. 

A later work, which no one interested in magic ought to 
miss, comes from America. The author, Mr. H. R. Evans, is 
a prolific contributor to the Scientific American. There are 
explanations of most of the large stage illusions which have 
been produced during the last twenty years, with excellent 
illustrations. Trick photography, and cinematograph photo¬ 
graphy and displays are also exhaustively treated. The 
experienced professional conjurer can find no better book of 
reference as to angles and effects in optical illusions. 

* For prices and publishers, see page 393. 

389 


390 


BOOKS ON CONJURING 


“ SLEIGHT OF HAND.” By Edwin Sachs. 

A very excellent manual of magic is Edwin Sachs’ Sleight 
of Hand. It covers much of the same ground as Hoffmann’s 
Modern Magic , but the revised edition was issued as lately as 
the year 1900, so that it is more up to date. As is of 
necessity the case in a book covering so wide a field of 
tricks, the descriptions are somewhat short; ample for a 
professional, it has the common fault of being rather too 
indefinite and lacking in detail for the guidance of beginners. 

“THE BOOK OF CONJURING AND CARD TRICKS.” 

By R. Kunard. 

Another book which describes a very large number of 
effects is Professor Kunard’s Book of Conjuring and Card 
Tricks. For those who would make use of small apparatus 
tricks there is an ample choice in these pages. 

“THE MAGICIANS’ HANDBOOK.” By Selbit. 

The title rightly proclaims it as written for the more ad¬ 
vanced student, but this is somewhat misleading. The work 
is not a handbook of magic, but contains chapters of mis¬ 
cellaneous tricks written in sections by several leading 
conjurers. It contains many novel ideas, and as each con¬ 
jurer describes fakes he actually uses, there is not that large 
percentage of useless padding which finds a place but too 
often in many more comprehensive manuals. There are brief 
biographies of the various contributors, with portraits, and 
the whole makes a very interesting if somewhat heterogeneous 
little volume. 

“CONJURING FOR AMATEURS” and “CONJUR¬ 
ING WITH CARDS.” By Ellis Stanyon. 

A couple of handy little shilling manuals containing a very 
good selection of tricks. Mr. Stanyon in a number of 
instances gives pieces of patter to cover sleights, the omission 
of which is the weakest point in most books. The methods 
described have the advantage of being thoroughly up to date, 
even if not always quite the best. The writer has evidently 
studied how to teach tricks—an entirely different matter from 
merely describing how they are done. 


BOOKS ON CONJURING 


39i 


“MODERN COIN MANIPULATION.” 

By T. Nelson Downs. 

The most up-to-date work specially devoted to coin con¬ 
juring is this of the coin expert T. Nelson Downs. The 
majority of the tricks described are, however, very difficult, 
and require long practice. The illustrations are excellent, 
and several of them are reproduced by permission in the 
present work. They are distinctly in advance of any pre¬ 
viously published. 

Coin conjuring is especially suitable to amateur performers, 
and to those who would adopt this particular line Modern 
Coin Manipulation may be heartily recommended. It is a 
great pity that the book opens with a long chapter of Press 
notices highly eulogistic of the author’s performances, how¬ 
ever thoroughly these are merited by his skill. It is to be 
hoped this may be omitted in future editions, as its pro¬ 
minence in the book has led many readers to undervalue the 
rest of its contents. The author has established his right to 
be a first-rate authority on coin manipulation far too securely 
to need thirty opening pages to convince his readers of the fact. 

“HOWARD THURSTON’S CARD TRICKS.” 

By Howard Thurston. 

A handy little book of the most modern card passes and 
tricks, but also severely handicapped by an opening chapter 
of self-advertisement. Mr. Thurston could well replace this 
with a few extra tricks, as not many are treated in this book. 
The continuous back and front pass with cards is well 
described and illustrated, as is one method of the Thurston 
rising card trick. 

“TWENTIETH-CENTURY MAGIC.” 

By Nevil Monroe Hopkins. 

To the professional conjurer or very advanced amateur this 
work appeals with special force. The descriptions of how to 
build and make apparatus are most cle'ar and thorough. 
Mr. Hopkins is one of the very best practical writers on 
magic, and his book cannot be too highly recommended. 


BOOKS ON CONJURING 


392 

There is a finish of detail in his tricks and illusions which 
marks all true artists’ work. The tricks treated of are all of 
a more or less spectacular and elaborate order, yet so cleverly 
are the apparatus and effects arranged that they are by no 
means difficult of presentation. 

“LATTER-DAY TRICKS.” By A. Roterberg. 

Contains many useful methods and new devices in old 
tricks, which will be appreciated by practised performers. 
The price, one dollar, is rather stiff for so small a volume, a 
hundred small pages without illustrations. 

“SPIRIT SLATE - WRITING AND KINDRED 
PHENOMENA.” By William E. Robinson. 

A most interesting and comprehensive treatise on so-called 
spiritualistic tricks of all sorts. The reader who masters the 
contents of this volume will be equipped to give spiritualistic 
seances excelled by none. The illustrations are good, and 
the writer’s style is as interesting as his descriptions are 
practical and clear. 

“MAGIC AT HOME.” By M. Arthur Good; freely trans¬ 
lated by Professor Hoffmann. 

An account of parlour tricks not requiring any particular 
skill, and depending on the laws of gravity, pneumatics, 
hydrostatics, chemistry, and optics for their achievement. A 
thoroughly interesting book. 

“PUZZLES, OLD AND NEW.” 

By Professor Hoffmann. 

Another work on a subject akin to natural magic, which 
cannot fad to be of interest to those who care for mysteries or 
problems of any sort. 

“HERMANN, THE MAGICIAN” (by H. J. Burling- 
HAME, an American writer on Magic and Spiritualism), con¬ 
tains an introduction which goes more thoroughly and clearly 
into the Psychology of Deception than any other work known 
to me. Hermann’s life story is interestingly told and his 
principal tricks explained. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

OF CONJURING AND KINDRED ARTS 


By the courtesy of Mr. Ellis Stanyon, the editor of that 
bright monthly Magic , I am able to include the following 
Bibliography of Magic and Kindred Arts, which is, I believe, 
the most complete list in existence. For the convenience of 
all and sundry who may be interested in Magic, Mr. Stanyon 
has an arrangement whereby for a trifling cost anyone may 
have access to almost all of the works in this list. His 
address is 76, Solent Road, West Hampstead, London, W. 

The prices given are either those of the publishers or what 
the author considers a fair present-day value. 

Adams, W. H. Davenport. “Dwellers on the Thres- £ s . d. 
hold; or, Magic and Magicians.” London, 1865. 

Cloth, 8vo, 308 pp. . . . .0126 

Arnold, George. “ The Magician’s Own Book.” 

New York, 1851. Cloth, 8vo, 362 pp. Illus¬ 
trated . . . ..046 

“A Fearless Investigator.” Anti-Spiritualistic. 

Chicago, 1896. Cloth, 8vo, 353 pp. . .056 

Astley, Philip. “Natural Magic.” London, 1785. 

Aldine Publishing Company. 

1. “The Magic of Numbers.” 

2. “Capital Tricks and Deceptions with Cards.” 

3. “ Magic Toys and how to make them.” 

4. “Tricks in Mechanics.” 

5. “ Sleight of Hand.” 

6. “ Chemical Tricks.” 

7. “ Curious Puzzles.” 

8. “ Electrical and Magnetic Tricks.” 

London (about 1895). Paper. 256 pp. 

393 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 


£ s * d - 


394 

Anderson, Prof. (The Wizard of the North). 

“World of Magic.” 8vo, 130 pp. Illustrated o 10 

Abend, Prof. (George C. Weston). “ Conjuring.” 
London, 1896. Cloth, gilt, 4to, 500 pp. 
Illustrated . . . ..05 

Appleby, F. (C. E.) “ Loisette’s Art of Never 

Forgetting.” London. Paper, 8vo, 20 pp. 

Scarce . . . ..05 

“ Amateur’s Guide (The).” Derby, 1883 
“ Art of Conjuring (The); or, Legerdemain made 

easy.” About 1810 . . . .05 

Baldwin, S. S. “The White Mahatma.” New 

York, 1899. Cloth, 4to, 120 pp. Illustrated o 3 

Bertram, Charles. “ Isn’t it Wonderful ?” London, 

1896. Cloth, 4to, 301 pp. Illustrated . o 7 

Bellew, Frank. “ The Art of Amusing.” London. 

Cloth, 8vo. 200 Illustrations. Rare . .05 

Berkeley. “Card Tricks and Puzzles.” London, 

1894. Cloth, 8vo, 120 pp. Illustrated . o 1 

Beaumont, John. “Treatiseon Spirits, Apparitions, 
Witchcrafts, and other Magical Practices.” 

1705. 8vo . . ... 

Burgess. “ The Book of Knots.” London. Cloth, 

8vo, 120 pp. Illustrated . . .02 

Bertino. “ Mystical Novelties Up-to-Date.” Man¬ 
chester, about 1895. Paper, 8vo, 15 pp. . o 3 

Besant, W. “ Herr Paulus: His Rise, His Great¬ 
ness, His Fall.” Anti-Spiritualistic. New 
York. Paper, 342 pp. . . .03 

Bishop, Washington Irving. “Houdin and Hellers 
Second Sight.” Edinburgh, 1880 

Barnello. “The Red Demons. One Hundred 
Tricks with Fire.” Chicago, about 1893. 

Paper, i2mo . . . ..02 


6 

o 

o 

o 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

9 

9 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Blitz, Signor. “Fifty Years in the Magic Circle.” 
Hartford, 1871. Cloth, large 8vo, 432 pp. 
Illustrated . . . 

“ Breslaw’s Last Legacy ; or, Magical Companion.” 

About 1800 . . . . . 

Brewster, Sir David. “ Letters on Natural Magic.” 
London, 1884. Cloth, 8vo, 424 pp. 

Burshill, H. “ Hand Shadows.” New York. 4to. 

50 Illustrations . . 

Barter, J. “ A Wonderful Memory, and how to 
acquire it.” London. Paper, 8vo, 32 pp. 

-“ How to Hypnotise.” Uniform with the above 

- “ How to become a Ventriloquist.” Uniform 

with the above . ... 

Barnum, P. T. “The Humbugs of the World.” 

New York, 1866. Cloth, 8vo, 424 pp. 
Burlingame, H. J. “Leaves from Conjurers’ Scrap 
Books.” Chicago, 1891. Cloth, 8vo, 274 pp. 
Illustrated . . . 

- “Hermann, The Magician.” Chicago, 1897. 

Cloth, 12mo, 299 pp. Illustrated 

- “ Around the World with a Magician and a 

Juggler.” Chicago, 1891. Cloth, 8vo, 172 pp. 
Illustrated . . . . . 

- “Tricks in Magic, Illusions, and Mental 

Phenomena.” Three vols. Chicago, 1895- 
1898. Paper, 8vo, 258 pp. Price per volume 

- “ Modern Magical Marvels ” . 

- “History of Magic and Magicians.” Chicago, 

1895. Pamphlet, 8vo, 41 pp. . 

See also under “ Manning.” 

Bayley, R. Child. “ Magic Lanterns, Modern.” In 
paper. 8vo. . . . • 

Browne, Dr. W. H., M.A. “Firework Making for 
Amateurs.” Coloured wrapper, 8vo 


395 

* d. 

15 o 

8 6 

5 6 

5 6 

1 o 
1 o 

I o 

8 6 

5 o 

6 o 

1 9 

1 6 

1 3 

2 11 







BIBLIOGRAPHY 


396 

Beckmann, John. “A History of Inventions and £ s. d. 
Discoveries by Public Professor of the Univer¬ 
sity of Goettingen.” London, 1814. Calf, 
large 8vo. Four vols. 2,050 pp. . . 2 10 o 

Bacon, Roger. “ Discovery of the Miracles of Art, 

Nature, and Magic.” About 1260 
Bailey, F. H. “Hindu Jugglery.” “Journal of 
Education” (Boston), vol. xliv. p. 378 
Ball, W. W. Rouse. “Card Tricks.” In his “Mathe¬ 
matical Recreations” . ... 

Bancroft, Frederick. “Yogi Magic in India.” 

“Scientific American Supplement” (New 
York), vol. xliii. p. 17,845 
Bartlett, J. “ Second Sight.” “ Scientific American 
Supplement” (New York), vol. xlii. pp. 

17 , 477-8 • • ... 

Benjamin, Wm. “Modern Magicians’ Magic.”' 

1900. Cloth, i2mo. Illustrated 
Benjamin, M. “ Modern Magic and its Explana¬ 
tions.” “ Chautauquan,” vol. xi. p. 731 . 

Bertrand, Victor. “ Les Silhouettes Animees a la 

Main.” Paris, 1893. Paper, 4to, 200 pp. .056 

Christmas, H. “The Cradle of Twin Giants, 

Science, Astrology, Magic, Arithmetical Magic, 

Alchemy, etc.” 1849. Two vols. 8vo 
Coats, James, PH.D., F.A.S. “How to Mesmerize.” 

London, 1894. Boards, 120 pp. Illustrated .016 
- “ How to Thought-read.” 128 pp. . .016 

Cremer, W. H., jun. “The Secret Out; or, One 
Thousand Tricks in Drawing-room ; or, White 
Magic.” London, 1891. Cloth, 8vo, 307 pp. 

Illustrated . . . ..050 

- “ Hanky Panky. A Book of Conjuring 

Tricks.” London, 1891. Cloth, 8vo, 308 pp. 

Illustrated . . . ..050 




BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cremer, W. H., jun. “ Magic no Mystery.” Tricks £ 
with Cards, Dice, Balls, etc. London, 1876. 
Cloth, 8vo. Illustrated 

- “ The Magician’s Own Book.” London, 1890. 

Cloth, 8vo. Illustrated . . . o 

Cumberland, Stuart A. “ A Thought-reader’s 
Thoughts.” London, 1888. Cloth, gilt, large 
8vo, 326 pp. . . . . o 

Colquhoun, J. C., Esq. “ A History of Magic and 
Witchcraft.” London, 1851. Two vols. 
Cloth, 8vo, 642 pp. . ... 

“ Confessions of a Medium.” London, 1882. Cloth, 
8vo, 232 pp. Illustrated . . . o 

“Conjuring. The Conjurer Unmasked.” London, 
1790. i2mo. . . . . o 

“ Conjurer’s Guide (The).” Glasgow, 1850 
“Conjurer’s Guide (The).” A New and Improved 
Hocus Pocus. 1808 . . . o 

Craft, Rev. Amos N., A.M. “ Epidemic Delusions.” 
Cincinnati, 1881. Cloth, 8vo, 341 pp. 

“Classel and Faust.” New and Startling Tricks. 

London, 1890. Boards, 8vo, 50 pp. . . o 

Curzon. “ The Universal Library; or, the Com¬ 
plete Summary of Science.” Two vols. 

“ Mathematical Magic, Conjuring,” etc., etc. 
London, 1722. Calf, 8vo, 1,200 pp. 

Carpenter, W. H. “ At an Algerian Aissaoua.” 

“ Current Literature,” vol. xix. pp. 409-11 . 

Culin, St. “ Chinese Games with Dice and 
Dominoes.” Illustrated. 1825 . . . o 

“ Conjurer’s Museum (The).” Hocus Pocus in 
perfection. 1800 . . . o 

“ Chapeaugraphy; or, Twenty-five Heads Under 
One Hat.” London, 1895. Boards. Quarto, 

65 pp. Illustrated 


397 

s. d. 

5 o 

7 6 

7 6 

8 6 

5 6 

8 6 

7 6 
7 6 


o 


2 6 



398 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Carlyle, Thomas. “Count Cagliostro.” In his £ s . 
“Miscellaneous Essays” 

“Conjurer’s Magazine.” London, August, 1792, to 

July, 1793. Cloth 8vo, 530 pp. Illustrated . o 15 

Crane, W. B. “ The Mechanics of Magic.” New 
York. Metropolitan, 1898 
De Vere, M. S. “Modern Magic.” 1869 
Dicksonn. “Mes Trues.” Paris, 1893. Paper, 8vo, 

214 pp. Illustrated . . ..06 

Davenport, Reuben Briggs. “ The Death Blow to 
Spiritualism.” New York, 1888. Paper, 8vo, 

247 pp. . . . ..04 

Dean, H. “ The Whole Art of Legerdemain.” 

Illustrated. London. 8th Edition. 1781 . o 8 

Defoe, Daniel. “ System of Magick.” 1728. Calf, 

8vo. . . ... 

Desmond, Frank. “ Everybody’s Guide to Con¬ 
juring.” London, 1896. Cloth. Small i6mo. 

150 pp. Illustrated . . ..01 

“ Demologia; or, Natural Knowledge Revealed.” 

1827. Cloth. Post 8vo . . .08 

“ Dick’s Parlour Exhibitions.” New York. Boards, 

8vo. Illustrated . . ..03 

Dessoir, Max. “ The Magic Mirror.” “ Monist,” 
vol. i. p. 87 . . . . 

-“ The Psychology of Legerdemain.” “ Open 

Court,” vol. vii. . ... 

Downs, T. Nelson. “ Modern Coin Manipulation.” 

Crown 8vo. Illustrated . . . o 10 

Evans, Henry Ridgely. “ Hours with the Ghosts.” 

Chicago, 1897. Cloth, 8vo, 302 pp. Illustrated o 5 
Eaton, Seymour. “ How to Become Quick at 

Figures.” London, 1891. Cloth, 8vo, 50 pp. . o 10 
“ Entertainer (The).” Bournemouth, 1897 • . ° 3 


d. 

o 

6 

6 

6 

o 

6 

6 

6 

o 

6 

o 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 


399 

Ewbanks, T. “A Descriptive and Historical £ s . d. 
Account of Hydraulic and Other Machines 
for Lifting Water.” New York, 1851. 8vo . 1 10 o 

Fox, Imro. “Hand Shadows and How to Make 
Them.” New York. Pamphlet. 20 pp. Thirty 
Illustrations . . . ..019 

Frost, Thomas. “ The Old Showman and the Old 
London Fairs.” London, 1881. Cloth, 8vo, 

388 pp. . ... 

-“ The Lives of the Conjurers.” London, 

1881. Cloth, 8vo, 360 pp. . . .050 

- “ Circus Life and Circus Celebrities.” London, 

1881. Cloth, 8vo, 328 pp. . . . 

“Faustus, Dr. (The Remarkable Life of).” London, 

1829. Paper, 32 pp. . . ..086 

“ Fortune Telling by Cards.” London. 32 pp. .010 

“ Fortune Telling by Cards and Dice.” London. 

Paper, 94 pp. Illustrated . . .016 

Forster, Joseph. “ Card Sharpers.” London, 1891. 

Cloth, 8vo, 288 pp. Illustrated . . .050 

“ Fairburn’s New Conjurer.” About 1830. 14 pp. 020 

Gale. “Cabinet of Knowledge.” London, 1796. 

Calf, 8vo, 336 pp. . . ..086 

Ganthony, Robert. “ Bunkum Entertainments.” 

London, 1895. Cloth, 8vo, 188 pp. Illustrated o 2 11 

- “ Practical Ventriloquism and its Sister Arts.” 

London, 1893. Cloth, 8vo, 155 pp. Illustrated o 2 11 

- “Ventriloquism Self-Taught.” New York. 

Paper . . . ..020 

- “Entertainments, Amateur.” London, 1893. 

Coloured cover. 8vo, 66 pp. . . .013 

Guerndale, R. “ The Poker Book.” London. Paper o 1 3 

Gilbert, C. “Tricks with Cards, Sleight of Hand, 

Conjuring and Magic.” London. Boards, 

8vo, 200 pp. Illustrated 






4 oo BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Garenne, Prof. (Dr. Frank Lind). “The Art of £ s. 
Modern Conjuring, Magic, and Illusions.” 
London, 1879. Cloth, 8vo, 351 pp. 162 
illustrations . . . ..04 

Garrett, F. E. “ Isis Very Much Unveiled.” 

London. Paper, 8vo, 135 pp. Illustrated . o 3 

Good, Arthur. “ Magical Experiments; or, Science 
in Play.” London, 1891. Cloth and gilt, 

8vo, 250 pp. Illustrated . . .04 

Godwin, Wm. “Lives of the Necromancers” 

London, 1876. Cloth, post 8vo, 282 pp. . o 4 

Green, J. H. “ Gamblers’ Tricks with Cards.” New 

York. Paper, 8vo, 130 pp. Illustrated . .04 

Gatchell, Chas. “ The Methods of Mind Readers.” 

Forum (New York), vol. xi. pp. 192-204 
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about 1840. Paper, 44 pp. Illustrated . .02 

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64 pp. . . .‘..02 

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d. 

6 

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409 

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3 9 

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1 3 

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The most successful periodical (monthly) de¬ 
voted solely to the interests of magic 


WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, PRINTERS, PLYMOUTH 























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